Disguised
by punklau
Summary: After making a life for herself with so much skeletons locked in her closet, pushing everyone who ever tried to get close away, can AJ finally let someone else in, in the most unlikeliest of fashions? Or will those skeletons come back to prevent her from finding happiness in herself or with anyone else? (AU)
1. Angel

**Angel**

* * *

"Can you please give me the charge logbook dating back to last year, please." A short brunette stood in the station at the front desk, "Quickly." She made clear to the receptionist who scrambled away into the back office.

She took her sunglasses from her eyes, brushing them onto her head as she took her phone out to check all of the zero messages she'd received. She wasn't a morning person, hence the sunglasses and the unpleasant tone in her voice.

"April." She heard her birth name echoed behind her as she glanced around and rolled her eyes a little, "What brings you here on this fine Monday morning?" The dirty blonde haired police officer walked in.

"I got arrested last night." April, or AJ to most people turned to him. She was short, dark haired with dark eyes, tanned skin from her Puerto Rican heritage, and a smile that no one ever got to see.

"Were you really?" The man laughed a little.

"No I wasn't really, Dean." AJ shook her head and scoffed, "I'm waiting to check the arrests for my case. Goes to trial in an hour and I am unprepared." She told him as he sipped his coffee, coming in to start his shift.

"Which scum are you defending now?" Dean asked her, a long-term officer who knew her face from coming in and out of the station. He liked to tease her as did many of the officers, but she could no doubt end them all in a war of words.

"Armed robber." AJ said, "Had his reasons."

"Oh, yeah. We all have our reasons to buy a gun and point it at a poor innocent cashier man to steal money." Dean chuckled, "You got no heart, Mendez." He said.

"Whatever. Someone's gotta give the evil love." AJ shrugged, "Are we making any progress back there?!" AJ yelled, watching as the receptionist ran from side to side trying to find the logbook.

"Just a minute!" She called back to AJ who turned to Dean.

"Can anyone do their jobs properly in this station?" She asked him as Dean chuckled.

"Apparently not." Dean said, "Good luck at the trial. I hope you free the lunatic back onto the streets for us all." He winked as AJ just smiled and nodded. She was used to the attitude she got from most of the officers. She'd been brought up in such a world where she was used to being hated, sticking up for herself and only herself, and creating a life on her own. It had resulted in her shutting out a lot of people, but she didn't know how not to.

"Here you go." The receptionist rushed out, handing AJ the logbook.

"Thank you." AJ grabbed it from her, "I can take the full thing, right?" She said, "I'm really late."

"Sure." The receptionist nervously nodded.

"Great, thank you." AJ smiled, rushing off out of the station, opening up the door when she bumped into another officer, suddenly feeling scolding hot coffee down the front of her dress, "Oh my God." AJ moaned, waving her hands out, dumping her back on the ground and looking on at the coffee marks down her dress.

"Don't charge through a door at that speed then." The voice spat as AJ slowly glared up at him.

"Why am I not surprised?" AJ looked up at his stupid smiling face, "I'm at trial this morning." She moaned, trying to rummage through her bag for tissues of some sort whilst the man, another fellow officer stood with now an empty coffee cup but a smile on his face.

"Defending which scumbag?" He asked her teasingly.

"Oh, go away." AJ shook her head, not in the mood anymore as she brushed her hands down her dress, "I stink of… unsweetened coffee. Are you on a diet, Phil?" She asked him. If there was one officer which she did not get along with on any form, it was Phil Brooks, or Punk he was referred to in the work place. She thought he looked more like a criminal himself than a police officer. He always had something smart to remark with, and it was annoying that he looked drop dead gorgeous whilst doing it. She'd known him for a few years in and out of the station and she couldn't remember them having a serious or decent conversation.

"I'm not on a diet. I just respect my health." Punk told her, tossing his now empty coffee cup in the trash beside the station, "You owe me a coffee now." He said, running his hand through his hair.

"I don't owe you anything, sweetheart." AJ hummed, picking her bag back up as well as the log book as Punk noticed it.

"Is that… you can't take that away with you." Punk pointed.

"Oh, gotta shoot now. I'll be late." AJ ignored him, "Bye." She quickly left the station and got into her car as Punk shook his head and walked into the station.

"Hey, Joan?" Punk crept up to reception, "Did you give AJ the logbook for arrests?" He asked her.

"You know she makes me nervous." Joan sighed as Punk just rolled his eyes.

"You best hope she returns it." Punk shook his head. If there was one thing he'd realised from being a cop, was to never trust a defence lawyer, especially not ones who looked as pretty as AJ did.

He then headed on through to the back offices, coming across his desk where his best buddy Dean was standing.

"Morning." Dean smiled, "No coffee this morning?" He said with confusion as he noticed his long-term best friend didn't have a coffee in his hand like normal.

"No. April Mendez is wearing my coffee to court this morning." Punk said as Dean sniggered.

"You didn't." Dean laughed.

"Hey, she bumped into me." Punk defended, collapsing down at the desk, "And now I'm cranky because I only got three sips out of it." He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

"We can stop by and get you one on our way out." Dean laughed, "Ian wants us out on patrol this morning." He said as Punk nodded, spinning around on the chair.

"Joan let AJ take the full fucking logbook to court with her." Punk stood up, taking his things from his desk, "Can you believe that?"

"Because she's terrified of her like most people around here." Dean laughed, "What have you got planned for tonight then? Didn't you say your mom was in town." He said, strapping his gun onto his side as they headed back down through the offices to leave the station.

"Yeah I said my mom was in town. Nothing about spending time with her, though." Punk made clear as Dean nodded.

"Why is she back then?" Dean asked.

He'd known Punk out of their work place for a long time. They never went to the same school but lived on the same street. Punk found himself at Dean's house way more than he spent time at his own whilst growing up.

"I have no idea. Probably to see my little sister." Punk told him truthfully, "We should head to the court and prepare ourselves to catch another armed robber." He said, walking out of the station and heading over to one of the cars as Dean chuckled and nodded.

"Well we all know she can work a good court room. He'll be out after one day." Dean laughed, getting behind the wheel as Punk got in beside him.

"How can she even defend people who are so obviously criminals?" Punk shook his head.

"It's her job." Dean shrugged, "And she's damn well good at it." He shrugged, "I mean, you see what they say about her in the papers. Literally the devil disguised as an angel."

"Someone said that?" Punk laughed.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "Nightmare dressed like a daydream. That's what she is." He said as Punk just shook his head.

"Ok, I need coffee." Punk sighed to himself.

"If Ian found out we were going for coffee during our shift he'd choke us both." Dean said, nevertheless driving to the nearest coffee shop of course.

"Ian can try it. We all know he's an old man with a bad hip." Punk shook his head as Dean chuckled.

* * *

"Hey, where are you going?" A man grumbled the next morning as AJ stood doing her bra at the front and spinning it around, putting her arms in the straps as she looked around the bedroom for her dress, "It's 4 in the morning." He said.

"I need to go home and shower." AJ told him, slipping back into her dress which still smelt of coffee, looking around for her coat, "Where is my coat, Lee?" She asked the man whom she had only met on the way home from court the previous day. She was sure he was the security guard for the court, but she'd be lying if she said she asked or was even interested in what he did.

"Over there I think." He waved uselessly as AJ just shook her head, rummaging through things until she found her coat and put it on, "You're not staying for breakfast?"

"I don't do breakfast." AJ made clear, "Thanks for the night." She told him, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"No, thank _you._ " Lee smirked, rolling back around in bed as AJ just rolled her eyes and left the bedroom, wandering out of the apartment and into her car outside to drive home.

She liked to see the sun rising. It made her feel good, bright and positive, which was a rare feeling for her.

She drove home to her house, parking her car and getting out with her folders, walking on into the two-bedroom house and locking it behind her. She dumped her things down in the living room and headed on through to the kitchen where she stripped out of her dress and threw it in the wash, wandering back down the hallway in her underwear and heading upstairs.

She didn't think about it too much, but she was proud of the success she'd had, whether or not people liked her. Being brought up how she was brought up, in such chaotic conditions, to get out of that and be someone, make a living, despite it being a very lonely living, she was proud of herself for it.

She went in for a shower, washing last night's antics from her body and getting out to collapse in bed for a few hours. She didn't know the guy. He just smiled her way and she suddenly found herself in his apartment. She always told herself it was the stress of her job. She'd told herself her behaviour was acceptable because she just didn't have time for a boyfriend.

She woke up after a few hours of sleeping in her towel on top of the bed, drying her damp hair, popping a pill from in her bathroom cabinet and getting ready for another day at court. She lived a lonely life in terms of family and friends. Her family had moved back to Puerto Rico, which was where she was initially born, for various reasons. And she didn't have many friends. She had a friend, however she lost her at an early age. Loss was something she was used to at this point.

Just as she was putting her coat on to go out the door, she heard a bang on her front door and rolled her eyes.

"What?" She swung the door open before even seeing who it was.

"The logbook." Punk folded his arms as AJ laughed to herself a little.

"Uh… that's in the courts possession now, sweetheart." AJ smiled, "Don't you know how all of this works?" She asked, pushing by him and pulling her door closed to lock it over.

"Well we need it back. Should never have been given to you in the first place." Punk said, "My neck is on the line here."

"Why would you assume I care about that?" AJ asked him seriously, "Maybe get a better receptionist. I could ask her for a gun and she'd give me it." She shook her head.

"Maybe if you didn't scare her." Punk bit back, walking down the path with her, "Rough night?" He asked her as she quickly turned to him, "You got sleeping lines on your cheek."

"Oh." AJ said, rubbing her face, "Sorry I'm not up to your standard this early in the morning." She said, opening the back door of her car and throwing the folders in.

"Well." Punk just made a face, "You still owe me a coffee."

"I don't really." AJ said, "You owe me a new dress and some lotion for the burns on my chest." She said.

"I didn't think you felt pain." Punk admitted teasingly as she just glared at him. Not many people could annoy her. He did. He always had since she first saw him a few years ago. He teased her differently from the other cops. She couldn't tell if she liked it or if she just liked his face a little better than the rest.

"Ok, go away now I have to go to work and actually make a difference." She nodded.

"Oh, by freeing all the evil weirdos back into the world? You really are making a difference." Punk nodded.

"Better than sitting on my ass eating donuts all day." AJ rolled her eyes, "But… you don't put sugar in your coffee, so that means you're healthy." She said.

"Damn straight." Punk said, "Get the logbook back." He said, his tone changing into a serious one as she looked up at him, "Or I'll go take it back." He warned her as she just raised a brow and opened up her car door.

"Goodbye." AJ told him, getting into her car and slamming it shut as she pulled away and onto the road whilst Punk made his way back into his car with Dean.

* * *

 **A/N: I know! Another crime type story. I just feel like they give me a wide span to work with and they're a little more intriguing than just a regular story, so I hope no one is bored! Let me know what you think, I'd appreciate the feedback.**


	2. Lodger

**Lodger**

* * *

"Delivery." AJ announced, walking into the station a few days later, walking on over to reception where Joan stood up, "Here is the logbook. I'm sorry it took so long." She said, passing the book over.

"That's ok." Joan smiled as AJ watched Punk walk out from the swing doors where the back offices were.

"I returned your precious book." AJ told him but he seemed to ignore her and rush right past her and out of the station, "Acknowledgment would be nice around here." She called as she watched him rush out, "What's his problem?" She turned back to Joan.

"Uh… they just got called out to a shooting. Couple of kids involved." Joan said as AJ nodded slowly.

"Local?" AJ asked her.

"Yeah, just down the street." Joan said.

"Why can't we just fucking ban guns?" AJ rolled her eyes, "Can you make sure that Phil knows I returned that book. He's been on my case all week." She said as Joan nodded.

"I will." Joan said, "How did your case go?" She asked as AJ nodded.

"It went well. I won." AJ smiled.

"How you even get an armed robber off?" Joan shook her head as AJ looked across at her.

"You do a good job." AJ said bluntly as Joan just looked at her wearily, "I'm sure I'll be back soon looking for more things from you." She faked a smile and turned around, walking off out of the station and into her car to drive off.

* * *

"Hey, are you ok, man?" Dean asked, sitting in the car later that night with Punk, "How is your side?"

"I'm ok." Punk nodded, "Damn kids holding a gun like it's a fucking iPhone." He shook his head, "Losing lives left right and centre." He said as Dean nodded.

"Kind of world we living in." Dean nodded, "Just get that side iced up and you'll be good to go. Don't let it get to your head." He said, patting Punk on the shoulder.

"Yeah, man." Punk said, getting out of the car slowly, "I'll catch you tomorrow." He nodded, closing the car door over as Dean drove off. He then walked up the steps to his house, getting his keys out when he heard a whistle from across the street.

He turned around and saw his nineteen year old little sister strolling across the road, rolling his eyes and turning back to his keys, "What do you want, Cami?" Punk asked, "Money?" He assumed.

"Your couch." Cami smiled hopefully. She was born Camila but no one but her mother called her that.

"Boyfriend kick you out again?" Punk asked her, opening up his door and walking in as Cami followed him in. She was average height with light brown hair. She was a beautiful girl who had fallen to other things.

"What do you care?" Cami asked him, wandering into his living room and sitting down on his couch, "He didn't kick me out. I left."

"What this time? The drugs? Alcohol? Violence?" He asked, tossing his keys over on the coffee table, caressing his aching side after the day he'd had.

"Drugs." Cami nodded.

"You're not using again, are you?" Punk looked over to her.

"No. I'm not." Cami said with frustration, "I knew if I didn't leave, I would though." She said, "And I know mom is in town. If she saw me out my face she would-"

"Do nothing." Punk said, "Like she always does." Punk said, "If you want to see her, go out, don't bring her here." He warned her.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Cami asked him, twirling her hair around her finger whilst Punk headed into the kitchen to get some ice.

"She's useless. Always has been." Punk told her, emerging back in with some ice on his side.

"You're just mad she left your dad for my dad." Cami smiled.

"Yeah and then she left your dad too. It's not a big deal." Punk assured her. They were only step siblings as they didn't share the same father, but they'd always been around one another for most of their lives, despite the huge age gap.

"You hurt yourself or something?" Cami asked him, taking out some cigarettes from her purse as Punk reached over and grabbed them from her.

"You're not doing that in my house." Punk warned her as Cami rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I did. There was a shooting today. I got kicked in the ribs in attempts to settle it all." He said.

"Such a hero." Cami smiled.

"How long are you staying here for? Until you make up with your disgusting boyfriend and go back to the shack you're living in with him? Or are you done this time for good?"

"He said some mean shit to me." Cami said, "I don't want to go back."

"Yeah you always say that." Punk shook his head, "What was it this time? Slut? User?"

"He used whore this time actually." Cami said.

"Oh, well we always appreciate a diverse vocabulary." Punk nodded.

"We do." Cami agreed, "I… I won't be here for long. I can stay with a friend. I'll just be here for one night."

"All your friends are junkies." Punk said, "Stay… as long as you need, just don't bring anything home or I'll arrest all your pals, including your boyfriend, like last time." Punk said as Cami nodded.

"Thank you." Cami smiled.

"Yeah, you're alright." Punk said, "I'm going to bed. I got a 6am start tomorrow." He stood up.

"You just got home and it's midnight." Cami shook her head.

"I'm a cop." Punk replied as Cami just nodded, "Need anything you know where it all is. Steal any money and I'll find you." He warned.

"That was one time and I was high." Cami said.

"Well you've been warned." Punk said, "Goodnight." He said, walking out of the living room and heading upstairs as Cami stuck the TV on and lay down on the couch.

They never shared an affectionate relationship. Punk put it down to there being such a huge age gap between them. He was already grown up when Cami was born. They didn't have a normal sibling bond, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her and love her. He'd tried to help her in the past, but every time he did, it went to waste. She ended up back with her junkie boyfriend in their apartment, getting up to God knows what, and he couldn't keep up with it anymore. It broke his heart sometimes. She was so young and had so much potential, but he was a broken record now with all the talks he'd had with her, and his mom sure as hell didn't do shit.

* * *

The next day, Punk headed to work bright and early after barely sleeping, leaving his little sister asleep on the couch as he headed off to the station, walking on with a coffee, thankful not to spill it over anyone.

"Oh, Phil." Joan from reception called.

"Yeah?" Punk walked over to the desk.

"April left the logbook with me yesterday. She wanted me to tell you." Joan said as Punk nodded.

"Of course she did." Punk shook his head, "Did she win her case?"

"Yeah she did." Joan nodded.

"And of course she did." Punk repeated, "Ok, thanks." Punk smiled as she just nodded.

He walked on into the back where other officers were roaming around, some were at computers, some were standing around.

"Morning." Punk tapped Dean on the head who was sleeping at his desk.

"I'm up." Dean opened his eyes with a fright as Punk chuckled and sat down beside him at his desk.

"You are now." Punk said.

"Oh, man. I got like… no sleep last night." Dean sighed, "I go in and the baby cries from the minute I get in. Didn't stop until 4am and then I had to get up at 5." He said.

"All perks of the job my friend." Punk smiled, "If it makes you feel better I also had a baby to deal with when I got home."

"Cami?" Dean asked as he nodded, "Boyfriend chuck her out?"

"Well she said she left but I don't know. I don't believe anything she tells me." He shrugged.

"Shouldn't she get a job or something?" Dean asked.

"Well I tried to fucking help her. Remember I got her a job in reception in here?" Punk asked, "All she did was steal shit and turn up late, or not at all." He shook his head.

"She's a tough one." Dean nodded, "At least she doesn't scream and cry all night." He said.

"Hey, dude that's on you for having a baby. I didn't ask for a sister." Punk said as Dean laughed a little, "How is she anyway? And Lia?" Punk asked, "Haven't saw her in a while."

"Yeah, they're good. Lia is enjoying the time off work." Dean nodded.

"Well that's good." Punk nodded, "Did you hear April won her case?" He asked, sipping on his coffee.

"Obviously she did." Dean laughed, "She return the logbook?"

"Yeah, yesterday." Punk shook his head, "God knows why Ian still allows things to be given to her." He shook his head.

"She'll probably be defending that shooter from yesterday." Dean said.

"Wouldn't put it past her." Punk said as Ian approached them, their boss and fellow police officer.

"Morning, boys." Ian nodded to them as they sat up a little straighter, "How are you both? I know… yesterday wasn't easy." He nodded, "Seeing life lost in person is never something you quite get used to."

"We're doing ok." Punk nodded.

"You done all you could. I'm proud of you both." Ian said, "I heard you got a little grief with one of the boys. You ok?" He asked Punk.

"Cracked rib probably but I'm fine." Punk assured him, "We're heading out soon to talk to some people about what they saw, some friends and family too." He said.

"Yeah we got to take action. Young kids can't be reverting to gun violence." Ian shook his head, "Find out where they got the guns from, yeah?"

"Yeah no problem." Dean nodded, watching as Ian walked off to attend to other matters whilst Punk and Dean stood up to leave the station, "So how long are you letting Cami stay with you?"

"She'll probably go back to her boyfriend after a day. I know what she's like." Punk said, "Plus she don't got clothes at my place so she'll need to go and get some. She's probably going to see my mom tonight where she'll pretend she has a job, a nice boyfriend and clean veins." He said, "And my stupid mom will believe her."

"Maybe you could get her back in rehab again?" Dean suggested.

"I've tried so many times." Punk said, "She told me she's clean right now… and I think she is, but it's only a matter of time before that scum boyfriend starts giving her stuff again."

"Can't we just go arrest the fucker?" Dean asked.

"I did before and when he got released he bottled Cami, and I can't risk my job if I end up losing it with him." Punk shook his head.

"It's a tough one." Dean nodded.

"The only one that's really gonna make a difference in helping her, is her." Punk said, "She'll get out if she wants to." He said, "I mean, I'll never let her go to the streets or lose herself completely, but I can't keep running after her."

"No, you're right." Dean agreed, walking out from the back and into the reception area where they saw AJ walking in, "Not what I want to see this early in the morning." Dean grumbled as Punk smiled.

"I'll get you out in the car, I wanna talk to her." Punk told him as Dean nodded and headed out whilst Punk wandered over to the reception area where AJ was standing, "Isn't it a bit early for you?" He asked.

"I was called in to represent a client who is being held in custody." AJ told him.

"Don't tell me you're representing the shooter from yesterday." Punk moaned.

"No, I'm not." AJ said, "Some crack head drug dealer actually." She told him, "I'm here to talk to him and hopefully not get stared at by your fellow colleagues." She said.

"I can't promise that." Punk told her truthfully, "You know you can't take that logbook out again, in fact, you can't take anything out of this station without speaking to an actual officer." He said sternly as AJ looked up at him.

"What would you actually do about it?" AJ glared up at him.

"I can arrest you." Punk shrugged as AJ chuckled.

"Please." AJ smiled, "Don't be so uptight. It's not like I drew dicks all over the book. I just needed to check a date." She shrugged, "I brought it back, didn't I?"

"After a week." Punk said, "You're lucky Ian didn't find out. You wouldn't be allowed to take anything out of here, or get any information from us ever again."

"I'd get it somehow. Half the time you guys don't give me any information anyway." AJ rolled her eyes, signing in a form to record that she'd been into the station to visit her client, "I have to go save a junkie now, excuse me." AJ said, sitting her pen down and walking off down the corridor as Punk watched her, for a little too long, not that he meant it.

"Phil." Joan said as Punk snapped out of it and turned to her, "You ok?" She asked him.

"Uh… yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you later." He smiled politely and walked out of the station.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Let me know what you're thinking, I appreciate it.**


	3. Good In People

**Good In People**

* * *

"Any luck with anything?" Ian asked later that night as Punk and Dean arrived back in at the station.

"Well we found out he'd been going to a shooting range for six months." Punk said, "He comes from a broken home. Dad isn't in the picture and mom, we can't locate her, he said that she comes and goes in their apartment." Punk said.

"We also went to his school, his guidance councillor said he hasn't shown up at school in three weeks." Dean said as Ian nodded.

"No word yet on where he got the gun." Punk said, "We're still trying to figure out where it's registered." He said as Ian nodded.

"Ok, guys." Ian said.

"We'll keep looking into it." Punk said.

"Thank you." Ian said, "You guys get home now. It's been a busy few days. Get some rest." He said, walking on down to his office as the guys collected their things from their desk to head home after a long day.

"I swear if I go home and Eva is crying I'm just turning straight back out the door and coming to your place." Dean shook his head as Punk laughed a little.

"Isn't she like… 6 or 7 months now, don't they stop the crying at some point before then?" Punk asked, walking out from the back offices and into the main reception area.

"Yeah, I guess. She's just really clingy with Lia, so whenever we try put her down in her crib, she just cries cause she wants lifted up." Dean said, "Nightmare. Don't have kids." He said as Punk laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, you've convinced me not to." Punk nodded truthfully, "I know I'm gonna go home and one or two things will have happened. Cami will have left, gone back to her boyfriend. Or she'll be there and will have ate everything in my kitchen, possibly threw up if she's been drinking or smoking, and I'm just gonna go crazy." Punk concluded as Dean smiled.

"Wasn't she like a straight A student in high school?" Dean asked, "Not that I'm saying smart people can't fall off the wagon but… where did it all go wrong?"

"Mom not being here, that's where it all went wrong." Punk said, "And her boyfriend, the friends she hung around with." Punk said, "She got so many scholarship offers and she turned every single one of them down." He shook his head.

"Damn." Dean sighed.

"I've gave her help. A lot of it. She either completely ignores it or throws it back in my face." Punk said.

"Why do you still give into her then?" Dean asked.

"Because she's my little sister." Punk shrugged, "I mean, I'd do anything for her but I can't… fix her life. I've had plenty of conversations with her about it." He said.

"She needs to face reality before she ends up dead before 21." Dean shook his head as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, and the thing is, she's had friends who have died, overdosed on like heroine. And somehow… it still doesn't scare her." Punk said.

"Wasn't her dad like that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah he was a piece of shit just like mine. Mom had a type." Punk said.

"Well of course." Dean said, "Well hey man, you're doing your bit, there's only so much you can do like you said." He said, walking out of the station.

"Yeah, I know." Punk sighed, "You're off tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. I think we're going to the zoo or some shit." Dean shook his head, "Even though Eva doesn't know what the fuck animals are." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, the zoo is fun." Punk smiled as Dean just nodded back and forth, "Well have fun. Think of me here, slaving away by myself all day."

"I will." Dean smiled, patting him on the back as they went into their separate cars and drove home.

* * *

"I can propose to the court to give you six months probation in a rehabilitation program." AJ said, sitting in the visiting room in the station with her newest client Jeff, "It's your first dealing offence so I could go hard on that." She nodded, looking through her files as the very thin and pale man watched her with shaking hands.

"You gotta get me something." Jeff shook his head as AJ looked across at him, "I can't take it in here."

"I'm not bringing you drugs." AJ said, "You're going through withdrawal. That's normal. You'll have the cold sweats, headaches, vomiting, but it'll pass, and it means you'll be a lot more prepared for court." She nodded, "The worst thing for me to do right now is give you anything." She said.

"You sound like someone who has been through a withdrawal in her life." He looked across at her as she just looked down at her papers.

"We should go to trial in a few weeks. It should only last a day for proposal to probation. In the case that's denied then we have to rest, go back to square one for a sentencing trial."

"How long could I do?" Jeff asked her.

"Well given that you've not harmed anyone, no one OD'd or anything like that, they'd probably give you two years with probation, from my experience." AJ nodded, "Maybe even less if they see the state you're in right now." She said.

"But you think they'll just give me probation?" Jeff asked her.

"I hope they do. But it means you gotta comply or else they will just put you in prison. You need to attend your program. Get better." She nodded.

"You're the first person who has… spoken nicely to me since I was arrested." He admitted, "Thank you." He said as AJ looked across at him and nodded.

"Well I don't think you're issues should be determined within a justice system. It should be determined in a clinic, a hospital… somewhere you can get help and not punishment." She said, "And if the cops are giving you any issues here just ignore them. They're all idiots." She scoffed as Jeff nodded in agreement, "Look, this is all the information I have for you right now, so just take care of yourself, I'll be back to speak with you." She told him.

* * *

AJ eventually left the station after her meeting with Jeff, figuring out which way was the best to go in getting him the best deal. She took a lot of pride in her work. It was the only constant thing she had in her life at this point. The only thing which kept her getting up in the mornings. She knew being a defence lawyer sometimes came with its flaws, and she knew how all the cops felt about her, but she always tried to see good in people.

She drove home and on her way, stopped at a bar. Sometimes work got too much, just like all jobs, and she needed to take a minute, even though she didn't drink, she didn't go to the bar for a drink anyway.

She walked on in and made her way to the bar, ordering a water and sitting on a stool. Another concern in her life was that she refused to have a boyfriend, but that didn't mean she refused to have a night to let her hair down with some stranger she didn't know. Her mother would tell her that was the bipolar in her coming out.

The funny thing to her, was that she never even had to initiate the first word, which was great on her end.

"Can I… buy you a drink?" A man appeared beside her as AJ turned to him and smiled.

"Well it wouldn't be worth it." AJ said, "It's water." She shrugged.

"Well that's rare." He laughed a little, taking a seat beside her, "Why are you in the bar then?"

"I like the atmosphere." AJ said, turning around to face him a little better, "I like to unwind after work."

"With a water?" He smiled.

"With a water." AJ nodded, "I'm AJ."

"Tony." Tony extended his hand as AJ shook it and smiled. She never dragged things out, she made herself very clear from the get go, just like she did with the security guard from the court, just like she did with others.

"Listen." AJ said, "Unless there is something really keeping you here, my place is just five minutes away." She said as he raised his eyebrows and smiled a little.

"Not what I was expecting." Tony laughed a little, sitting his beer down as AJ shrugged.

"Because what? You were expecting me to play hard to get, ask for your number only to never call it? No, I'm really only after one thing." She said, "And it's not to get to know you." She told him bluntly as Tony laughed a little.

She watched as he picked his beer back up and drank the rest of it, sitting it back down on the bar, "After you then." He said as AJ smiled, stepping off the stool and walking out of the place and over to her car.

They got into the car and as AJ started the engine, she thought what was the point in messing her bed up at home. She turned him, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his as he immediately kissed back, feeling him pull her across the sets onto him as she smirked.

"Oh, yeah." She smiled as he kissed her neck, pulling her own dress up whilst he undone his belt and jeans, pushing them down enough for her to settle onto his length, not caring that all she really knew was his name.

* * *

"Oh, you're still here." Punk nodded, walking into his house where he saw Cami lying on the couch watching TV.

"You expected me not to be?" Cami asked him.

"Well normally you disappear after one night." Punk said, "I see you… helped yourself to the fridge." He said, noticing all the food lying around.

"Yeah, I had the munchies." She admitted.

"I can see." Punk nodded, "You seeing mom at any point?" He asked her.

"She's here." Cami said casually.

"What?" Punk shook his head with confusion.

"In the kitchen." Cami pointed casually.

"What'd I fucking tell you?" Punk spat, walking on through the living room and into the kitchen where he saw his mom sitting at the kitchen table.

"Phillip." Rianne, his mother smiled, "Nice to put your little sister up. She said her flat mate is out of town and she got lonely. Sweet, she wants to spend time with her brother." She smiled as Punk turned into the living room where Cami was pretending to pray to him, in order to hope he went along with the story.

"Yeah, well I don't mind helping out." Punk gritted his teeth at Cami a little as she just blew a kiss to him and fell back down onto the couch, "How long are you in town for?"

"Oh just a few days." Rianne told him.

"Ok, well you know… me and you don't get along, ok I don't know why you would come here. Are you stupid?" He asked as she stood up.

"Well Camila told me to come." Rianne said innocently, which was always Punk's breaking point when it came to her. She always acted so oblivious and innocent to what was going on around her. She did his entire upbringing and she barely even took care of Cami when she grew up, "Why can't we just get along, Phil?"

"Because. Because of this, right here. You pretending that everything is ok. That you can just come in and out of our lives like you always have. Leaving us with strange guys whenever you couldn't face being a mom, or… or having us get taken in by the social." Punk said, "You moved away when Cami was fifteen. You didn't see her graduate. You didn't fucking care actually."

"I did care." Rianne said.

"Bullshit." Punk said, "You don't care about anyone but yourself. It's always been that way."

"You're just as hard work as your father was." Rianne scoffed and folded her arms.

"Oh don't give me that." Punk shook his head, "Look, I am tired. And I can't be bothered arguing with you-"

"You're the one who has come in arguing with me, Phil." Rianne said.

"Because I don't want you here and you know I don't, so why come? If you wanna see Cami, then you both go out, don't come to my house and pretend that you give a damn, because you don't." Punk nodded, "Just get out of my house. Please." Punk asked her seriously as Rianne folded her arms.

"Fine." Rianne put her hands up, "You know you make it really hard to be your mother, Phil." She shook her head.

"You were never a mother." Punk shook his head, watching as she walked by him and out of the house, "What'd I fucking say?!" Punk yelled as he walked back into the living room where Cami was.

"She wanted to come see me." Cami shrugged.

"And why do you want to see her anyway? She practically abandoned you. Both of us. She doesn't care about us." Punk reminded her.

"Well it's nice just to have someone show a little interest sometimes." Cami said.

"Keyword, sometimes. She just floats in and out like she's the world's most loving mother." Punk said, "If you wanna keep seeing her, go out and see her, don't bring her into my house, and you can fucking replace all of this food."

"Oh my God!" Cami yelled, sitting up, "Ok, fine. Why are you so fucking angry all of the time? Is that just what cops are like?" She asked him.

"Oh, shut up." Punk said.

"Why don't you get a girlfriend or something?" Cami shook her head.

"If I wanted a girlfriend I'd have one." Punk told her.

"Yeah, ok." Cami scoffed.

"So you're staying another night?" He asked her.

"Can I stay?" Cami wondered.

"Just… don't bring mom here again." Punk said.

"She left me too, you know." Cami said, "But she's our mom."

"I don't… I don't care." Punk told her honestly, "I'm going to bed."


	4. False Assumptions

**False Assumptions**

* * *

"Jeez, Brooks. You don't look like you've slept in weeks." AJ shook her head, walking into the station where she saw Punk standing filling out some paper work.

"Maybe I haven't." Punk replied without looking up at her, "Still here to see your junkie client?"

"You don't know anything about him." AJ shook her head, signing in.

"I know he's a junkie drug dealer who you're gonna use the sympathy vote for in court." Punk nodded.

"What's your point?" AJ smiled as he just shook his head, "Why do you cops have an issue with me? Shouldn't you be focusing on keeping more reform on those streets." AJ said, "I feel like every day I hear of someone going missing, or getting murdered."

"We do keep reform, then you set them back free into the world." Punk replied.

"Oh, get over yourself." AJ laughed, "Try not take things to heart so much." She said, "Does he ever smile, Joan?" She asked the receptionist who just stayed quiet nervously.

"Don't speak to her, you make her uncomfortable." Punk told AJ who raised a brow.

"I make you uncomfortable?" AJ asked Joan.

"Oh, no of course not." Joan smiled, turning to Punk and glaring at him.

"Well you make me fucking uncomfortable." Punk shook his head.

"Good, that is exactly what I aim for every morning when I wake up." AJ smiled.

"You think about me every morning when you wake up?" Punk teased.

"No, I just… I meant cops in general." She told him as she just smiled, "I did."

"Whatever." Punk shook his head, "Go away then, stop talking to me."

"You're the one talking to me." AJ laughed as Punk just stayed silent and smiled at her smugly to prove he wasn't talking, "You're an ass." She shook her head, walking away down the slip corridor to head for the visiting room as Punk just shook his head.

"Why did you say she made me uncomfortable when she was standing right there?" Joan asked him.

"Because it's the truth." Punk said, "You have to stand up for yourself, Joan." He said.

"She's right. You are an ass." Joan nodded as Punk just tutted.

"I'm just trying to help." Punk told her, "Here, can you photo copy these for me, please?" He asked her, handing her over some reports.

"Only because you said please." Joan nodded, heading on into the back as Punk stood at the reception waiting, watching as Dean walked in through the swing doors from in the back offices.

"Hey, man." Punk said.

"Hey, what's up?" Dean nodded.

"Tired." Punk nodded, "Cami finally left my place. We had a fight. She stormed off. She's back with her boyfriend." He said.

"Didn't last long, did it?" Dean cringed, "She pissed with you over your mom?"

"She knows how I feel. I didn't talk to the woman when I was younger, I don't wanna talk to her now." Punk made clear, "And Cami just lies to her about her life so… I don't get it."

"Maybe she just likes the idea of having her mom around." Dean said.

"Well she's a shit mom." Punk grumbled.

"Ian wants us to go search a house later once we get the warrant." Dean said "Linked to that robbery a few weeks ago, you remember?" He asked as Punk nodded, "Well they think they've found the guy." He said as Punk nodded.

"Ok. I'm just getting these reports photocopied." Punk said.

"Need to wait for the warrant anyway." Dean said, "It's Lia's birthday tomorrow. You should come over. My mom and dad will be there." He said.

"Oh, I don't know. It's sort of a family thing, is it not?" Punk said.

"You're family." Dean shrugged. It was true. He spent a lot of time with Dean and his family whilst he was growing up. Sometimes he stayed at the house for as long as a week before going back home into chaos with his own mother and father. He was jealous of Dean, jealous of his family, jealous of him being loved and cared about. And then he figured he had to stop feeling sorry for himself, and surrounding himself in negativity.

"Ok, then. I'll pop by for an hour." Punk nodded.

"Great." Dean smiled, turning his head as he saw AJ walking up the corridor, "It continues to live." He mumbled as Punk turned around.

"That was quick." Punk nodded over to her.

"Didn't know I was being timed." AJ walked over to them.

"What'd you do? Shake his hand and then leave?" Punk asked.

"It's none of your business." AJ laughed, "Now if you excuse me, I have work to go do." She smiled, brushing by Punk as he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"She's a nightmare." Punk shook his head.

"You totally check her out when she comes up close." Dean laughed as Punk shot his head around to him.

"No I don't." Punk defended immediately.

"Yeah you do." Dean said, "I know it and I think she knows it." Dean said.

"I… I don't check her out." Punk tutted, "I mean she's a good looking girl, but I don't… check her out."

"Why are you getting so mad about it then?" Dean smiled to him as Punk just shook his head.

"Everyone should just stay clear of me today before I burst into smoke." He nodded as Dean just smiled.

"Here you go." Joan said, passing Punk the photocopies.

"Thank you, Joan." Punk nodded, "Come find me when we need to go out." Punk told Dean who just nodded and watched him walk away.

"They really hate each other." Joan said as Dean turned to her. She was a quiet women, usually awkward and hard ot make conversation with. She'd been at reception for a few years, Punk and Dean tried their best to humour her but it was hard sometimes.

"What?" Dean shook his head.

"April and Phil. They hate each other." Joan nodded.

"Oh… right." Dean smiled awkwardly and slowly but surely excused himself out of the reception area.

* * *

"Hey, Phil." Lia, Dean's long-term girlfriend smiled upon seeing Punk walk into their home the next night. She was blonde haired, beautiful and in Punk's opinion, a very kind person. There were very few of them out there.

"Hey. Happy birthday." Punk smiled, giving her a warm embrace, "Here you go." He extended a card to her.

"Thank you." Lia smiled. She began dating Dean whilst he was in the academy and she was at college. They'd been together ever since and had a baby daughter together, "Dean said you've been getting piled with work lately." Lia said, making her way into the kitchen as Punk followed.

"Oh, you know. It's just usual." Punk nodded.

"I don't know how you guys do it." Lia shook her head, "Dealing with so much horror and trauma going on in the world. I always tell Dean he must have extremely thick skin." She said, handing him a soda as he nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, it's not something we get used to, I guess." Punk said, "How's your day been? Spoiled?" Punk smiled.

"Pretty much." Lia smiled, "Dean even done the morning diaper for me. Which is super rare." She said as Punk smiled.

"Well you're lucky." Punk said.

"I am." Lia smiled, "How is your sister?" She asked him, "Dean… mentioned."

"Yeah, she was staying at my place for a bit but she's gone now." Punk nodded.

"There's so many programs in the hospital right now for… addicts, of any kind and any severity." Lia nodded.

"I think she's beyond that. She's not using again which is good, but… it's her boyfriend. He's the biggest problem really." He said, "And she won't help herself. I've done the rehab programs, I've tried to get her a job, I've… I've done it all. She doesn't cooperate with me." Punk shook his head as Lia nodded.

"Maybe I could talk to her." Lia suggested, "I mean I used to work with… addicts every day. Maybe she'd listen to someone different." She said.

"Thanks, Lia but… I don't think she's gonna listen to anyone." Punk said as Lia just nodded, "Hey, you enjoy your day. We don't need to be talking about this." He said as Lia just smiled.

"Well I'm glad you came." Lia nodded, rubbing his arm softly as Punk just nodded with a smile.

* * *

He spent some time talking with Dean's family. He chatted with his parents, some of his cousins and he even spent some time with Eva who had woke up from her nap. The 7 month had taken a liking to him and he found himself with a new friend for the night.

He was in the middle of sitting down on the carpet floor, playing with one of her toys with her when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Punk nodded to Eva who threw her toy across the room, getting others attention as Punk stood up and answered the call from Ian, standing over to the corner to take the phone call.

"Hey." Punk said, "What? Uh… No, I don't know how that-" He paused and placed a hand on his hips, "April Mendez took the book to court." He rubbed his forehead, "Yeah yeah, ok." He nodded, listening as Ian began to yell, "Ok, I'll get it. It's fine. Don't worry." Punk nodded, hanging up whilst Dean walked over to him.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"That was Ian. There's a page missing from the logbook." Punk made a face as Dean rolled his eyes, "I need to go see her and get the page back." He shook his head.

"Right now?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Ian was screaming bloody murder. Sounded like he was gonna have a heart attack." Punk said, "Look, tell Lia I'm sorry I had to cut it short. I hope the rest of her night is good." He said.

"Yeah, ok. No worries, man. Give me a text if you get it or not." Dean said.

"I will." Punk nodded, leaving the house and getting into his car, driving on route to AJ's house.

He only knew where she lived from all the times he had to chase her up on giving back certain documents which she used, in this case, stole.

He got out of his car once parking outside her house, walking down the path and knocking on her door, placing his hands in his pockets and waiting for her to answer, which she eventually did, peeping her head around the door and looking on at him.

"What do you want?" AJ shook her head, trying to hide behind the door as she had short pyjamas on, "I was in bed."

"You took a fucking page out of the logbook. You're not fly. We need it back. That thing gets checked."

"Why do you assume it was me who took it?" AJ shook her head.

"Because you're the last one to have taken it out and into court. And plus, you're a lawyer."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" AJ asked.

"Yeah- w-why are you standing like that? Are you naked?" He shook his head, wondering why she was only sticking her head out.

"No." AJ said, stepping out from behind the door as Punk looked on at her in her short pyjamas and a vest, "I was in bed." She glared at him as Punk just shook his head.

"Just give me the missing page, please." He said.

"I don't have it. I wouldn't just take it." AJ said, "I'm glad to know that's how highly you think of me." She folded her arms.

"Do I have to come into your house and look for it?" Punk asked.

"Knock yourself out." AJ stepped aside and widened her door, "Literally." She mumbled to herself as Punk walked on in and began looking around, particularly in the living room where all her folders were, "You're not gonna find it. Why would I take a page out of the arrests? I have no interest in it. I'm not a thief."

"Well you were the last to have it, April." Punk said.

"That doesn't mean I stole it." AJ shook her head as Punk turned to her.

"You really didn't take it?" He asked her.

"I swear I didn't." AJ nodded, "If I did, I'd just tell you, you know I have no shame." She said as Punk nodded, knowing that to be true. He found himself looking on at her, and he couldn't help think she really was the most naturally beautiful woman he'd ever saw.

"Ok, I'm sorry." Punk put his hands up, "Ian is gonna have a fucking heart attack and I thought… you had it last so… I… I just assumed."

"It's fine." AJ shook her head.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Punk said, feeling bad, watching as she tucked her hair behind her ears, folding her arms back over to cover herself. He could see she didn't have a bra on, not that he was deliberately staring.

"It's ok." AJ nodded, "I can… ask the people who looked at it in court if that helps, see if someone maybe got a hold of it." She said.

"Yeah, thanks." Punk nodded, beginning to walk out of the living room when he noticed a frame on the unit just before the door, "Is that your sister?" He wondered. Truth be told, he didn't actually know anything about her besides her name, address and her job title.

"No." AJ said bluntly, looking over at the frame as Punk just turned to her, noticing the change in her posture and attitude as she looked at the picture, "I'll let you know if I come across the page. Any idea what month it was in?" She asked him, walking him out to the front door.

"September last year." Punk said as she nodded, watching him walk out of the door.

"Were you on a date or something?" She asked him as he turned around, standing on the step as she stood inside, "You look nice." She shrugged.

"It was Dean's girlfriends birthday. I was at the house." Punk nodded.

"Right." AJ said.

"Sorry I came in all guns blazing. I shouldn't have assumed you took it-"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." AJ agreed, "But I am just a scummy lawyer so… why wouldn't you?" She smiled as he stared at her.

"I don't think that." Punk said.

"You do." AJ laughed, "And it's fine. I really couldn't care less what you think of me." She admitted, even though for some reason, his opinions meant a lot to her, more than anyone else, she couldn't understand why.

"I'll go and… let you get back to sleep, I guess." He said as she just nodded, watching him walk away as she closed the door over and made her way back into the living room.

She cleared up all her work back into their neat piles, running her hand over her hair as she headed to go back upstairs to bed, glancing over at the frame of herself and another girl in her younger years, smiling at it before walking by and heading back to bed.


	5. Alone

**Alone**

* * *

"I have a present for you." AJ said, tapping Punk on the shoulder as he spun around from his desk.

"You shouldn't be back here." He looked around as AJ shrugged.

"Joan let me through." AJ said.

"Well obviously she did." Punk said, watching as she extended him a piece of paper, taking it from her as he saw it as the missing piece of the logbook, "Oh, you just magically found it overnight?"

"Hey, I went to court asked around, then I went to the DA's office. They had it. For what reason I don't know. They're always up to something." AJ said as Punk just nodded slowly and took it from her.

"Well thanks." Punk nodded, "You saved Ian from a heart attack." Punk nodded.

"I like to help when I can." AJ nodded, "Where is your shadow?" She asked, looking over to the parallel desk which she knew was Dean's.

"Day off." Punk told her.

"I thought cops had no days off." AJ said as Punk stood up, walking with her down the lane between the desks.

"No, that's just me." Punk smirked smugly, "Still representing that crack head we've got in remand?"

"Yeah, goes to trial in a few days." AJ nodded, "Yes, before you ask. I am using the sympathy vote for him. He has a health issue, not a criminal one."

"He was caught dealing drugs." Punk shook his head, "How is that not a crime?" He laughed a little.

"He wouldn't have been dealing them had he got the proper help for his own addictions." AJ said, "Look, think what you want, you're not the one who has to be concerned about it."

"I get concerned when you represent murderers who you somehow end up getting off. How can you sleep at night knowing that?" He asked her.

"I sleep like a baby." She nodded, "You don't get to know these people or what they've been through. Every action has a story."

"No. Murder is just murder." Punk said, "It's plain and simple."

"Look, you leave me to my job and I'll leave you to yours." AJ said, "I'll see you around." She said, walking on ahead and leaving out of the doors to head for reception whilst Punk went the opposite way to Ian's office.

It took him a few years to realise he actually enjoyed talking to her. He wouldn't let anyone know that of course.

"Here, you can calm down now." Punk said, walking into Ian's office and showing him the missing page.

"Oh, thank heavens." Ian placed his hand on his heart as Punk chuckled a little, "Where was it?"

"April handed it in. Said she found it with the DA's office. We know they're always up to something." He shrugged.

"You believe April? It was probably her who stole it." Ian rolled his eyes, taking the page from him, "You know I don't know why I let her into this station at this point."

"I think she was telling the truth." Punk nodded, "I mean she's blunt. If she took it she would own up to it." Punk shrugged.

"I suppose." Ian said, "Well, no worries anymore now we have it back." He nodded, "Sorry I interrupted your night last night. I just panicked."

"Yeah, I could see that." Punk nodded, "What do you think the DA would want with that?" H asked him.

"Oh, I don't know. The DA are always up to something like April said, I wouldn't worry too much about it." Ian nodded, "Anything else on that shooting case?" He asked.

"Yeah, we've located the boys mom. I'm gonna talk to her in a few hours. Managed to find out where the gun was from. One of the friends dad owns a shooting range." Punk nodded.

"Well of course." Ian rolled his eyes.

"There's been councillors in to talk to the kid, ask him why he would want to… use a gun on someone but he's being unresponsive." Punk said as Ian nodded, "Number one priority right now is to make sure we know he was acting alone, so we don't need to expect anything else going on." He said as Ian nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Ian said, "Well I'll let you go then if you're busy."

"Yeah, I'll speak to you later." Punk nodded as he left the office.

* * *

Later that night Punk swung by to Dean's house after his shift. He had to tell him some work related things but he always wanted to apologise to Lia for leaving without saying goodbye the previous night.

"Phil, it's fine." Lia smiled, sitting at the kitchen table feeding Eva her dinner, "It was work related, I won't hold it against you." She nodded as Punk smiled, "You can stay for dinner if you like, there's plenty there." She nodded.

"There is." Dean nodded, standing up, filling up Eva's sippy cup and walking back over to the table to give it to her as she grabbed it from him immediately, "Welcome." Dean nodded.

"Oh, not it's fine." Punk assured them, "I was just here to let you know I spoke to the boys mom. She… didn't know much or give me much information. Said that Jeremy had always been troubled. She was living with her sister and I asked why she never took Jeremy with her, but she said he refused to go and would just wander back home if she took him." Punk said, "She was extremely calm which… for someone whose son just tried to shoot a bunch of people… it doesn't seem normal."

"She on drugs?" Dean asked.

"I'm doing more digging. It would be fitting if she was." Punk said, "Jeremy still isn't responding to anyone. I just want to make sure there's no one else we need to worry about. I'm gonna take a trip to the shooting range tomorrow, ask around, see how often he was there, who he went with." Punk nodded, "You down?"

"Yeah, cool man." Dean nodded, "Did you find the page from the logbook?"

"Yeah. April found it with the DA." Punk shrugged.

"Why was it there?" Dean shook his head, "Is she just covering her ass because she took it?"

"No I think she really did find it with the DA." Punk nodded, "It's back now anyway." He shrugged, "I'll let you both have your dinner. I'll see you in the morning." He told Dean before leaving the house.

"Why doesn't he have a girlfriend?" Lia asked Dean who had taken over feeding Eva.

"He's not into dating." Dean told her.

"But he's a good guy, easy on the eyes too." She said as Dean raised a brow, "Not as easy as you." She tapped his foot under the table as he just hmm'd, "I'm serious though, he could find a nice woman. She'd be lucky."

"He's just not interested." Dean shrugged, "He just one and dones girls."

"What the hell does that mean?" Lia screwed her face up.

"It means he sleeps with them once and that's it." Dean explained.

"What's the point?" Lia questioned with confusion, "Doesn't he get lonely?"

"No. He's used to it." Dean assured her, "If he wanted a girlfriend he'd put himself out there. He doesn't care. Plus, he puts work first. Barely takes any days off." He said.

"Well that's not healthy." Lia said.

"He's happy doing his own thing." Dean shrugged.

* * *

Later that night Punk was lying up on the couch watching TV when there was a knock at the door. He groaned to himself after finding a comfy position on the couch, nevertheless he got up and headed out to answer it.

He opened up the door and saw his sister standing, dried in blood around her nose and lip area as he watched her wipe her tears.

"Can I come in?" She asked him as he nodded sadly, opening up the door wider and closing it over.

"What happened?" He asked sadly, wrapping his arms around her, "This is assault. I can go arrest him for this-"

"No." Cami shook her head, backing away and walking into the living room, "No you can't do that." She said, "It wasn't him. These guys came around looking for… for drugs. Justin… the guy he normally gets his drugs from isn't around anymore so they came in and wrecked our apartment. I tried to get involved and… this happened." She pointed to her nose.

"Cami, you're better than this. You need to get away from there. Away from this city if possible." He sighed, "Come on." He nodded her out to the kitchen as she followed him and took a seat whilst he fetched the first aid box.

He pulled a chair out in front of her and began to clean her up.

"Do you remember you would always clean me up if I came home with cut knees, falling off my bike?" She smiled.

"Yeah, every night." Punk smiled.

"You always knew how to fix me up." Cami smiled.

"You learn first aid in the academy." Punk told her, making sure her nose and mouth were clean from blood, "You know this is gonna continue as a vicious circle. You'll go back to him, it'll get worse, but you'll keep going back." He said, "You can't live your life like this." He shook his head.

"It's all I know." Cami said.

"It doesn't have to be." Punk shook his head, "You can get out. I'll help you."

"No… no, I should go back. I should see if Justin is ok." She stood up from the chair.

"Cami, listen to me." Punk said, "He is bad news. He always has been. You keep going back to him you're gonna end up hurt or dead, and I can't deal with that. Now I've tried everything. I took you to rehab, I got you jobs, I've gave you plenty of money to get away, but… in the end it's you who makes the decision. This isn't what you deserve. Not after the way we were brought up. What we went through. You deserve to get out of that place."

"I need to go back." She shook her head, "I need to make sure he's ok." She said, turning around and heading for the door.

"Camila." Punk sighed, "Wait a minute." He followed her.

"No. I just had to… come here and take a minute, get cleaned up. I need to go see if he's ok." She nodded.

"You're in denial." Punk shook his head, "And he has got you right where he needs you." He said.

"I love him." Cami said, "I want to make sure he's ok."

"You love him?" Punk said.

"Yes. Not that I would expect you to know anything about that." Cami said, "You've been alone your entire life and refuse to let anyone in. And maybe my problem is I do let people in, but I would rather deal with the consequences of that than be alone my entire life." She shook her head.

"I would rather be alone than live in a crack den with an abusive boyfriend who doesn't give a shit about me." Punk said as Cami just nodded and then headed for the door, "Cami. Camila." Punk called, listening as the door opened and banged close as he placed his hands over his face and groaned loudly.


	6. Showing Up

**Showing Up**

* * *

"You know, April." A tall blonde woman walked over to AJ in court whilst AJ was packing her things away after successfully getting her client off with six month's probation in a rehabilitation program, "You're everything that's wrong with this country." She nodded as AJ smiled and nodded. She knew all the familiar faces who she took on in court from the DA's office, and she only wished they hated her more, because it gave her a purpose to continue to win and prove her points.

"And why is that, Dana?" AJ asked.

"That man is a drug dealer. I have teenage children. He is what I worry about on these streets and he deserves to be punished. He knows his right from wrong." Dana said.

"The trial is over. I won. Get over it." AJ told her, closing her bag over, "Everything I said was valid and the judge agreed with me. Don't like it? Not my problem." AJ shrugged, "And while you're here I may as well ask why your office ripped a page out of the logbook I used in a trial a few weeks ago, from the police station?"

"I don't know anything about that." Dana shook her head.

"You're as good a liar as you are at winning against me." AJ smiled smugly as Dana folded her arms and glared at, "I mean, I'll find out. I just thought maybe you'd like to tell me first before I do."

"They were probably just looking at it." Dana shrugged, "What use is it to anyone anyway?" She said.

"Well that's what I thought, unless like me, you're using it in here to prove where and when a person was arrested." She said, "there really would be no reason for the DA's office to have it."

"Well I'm as clueless as you are." Dana said, "You can't always win on sympathy vote you know." She said as AJ just nodded. She was used to them barking down her throat whenever she won a case, which was often.

"I don't always win on sympathy. Only when there's sympathy to be given. My client was neglected of the proper health treatment he needed and that's why he turned to drugs. It's a public health issue, not a criminal one." AJ said.

"If that's what you think." Dana said.

"I know." AJ smiled, "Now if you excuse me. I have other clients waiting for me to get back to them." She nodded, taking her bag and walking by her with a smile.

Of course she hadn't always been as confident as she was in her job title, but she'd gotten a name for herself because of her need to push things a step maybe too far, as well as her fearlessness inside the court room. She didn't think people feared her. She didn't walk about with a chip on her shoulder. But she knew if given the stand to speak, given her time to cross on a witness, she could go to town and make her mark. She'd worked hard to earn that level of respect in court. It wasn't easy to get that was for sure.

* * *

"We can close that case once it goes to trial." Punk said, sitting down the folder with the information from the shooting that had taken place a few weeks ago. Days went by pretty quickly in their world as they were so busy all the time gathering evidence, making arrests and patrolling as well as doing office work and interviewing people at the station. Cases came and gone. Some were harder than others of course but it became normal life to them.

"When is it going to trial?" Dean asked, sitting at his desk, spinning around on his chair as Punk took a seat beside him.

"Few months. He's been transferred to a juvenile detention centre for the time being." Punk nodded, "Onwards and upwards. It's our favourite night of the week." He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"I remember when my Friday nights consisted of… drinking beer and eating pizza." Dean groaned, stretching on the chair and yawning, "Now I have to wrestle with drunks and go home to a screaming baby."

"Yeah yeah, it's a tough life." Punk nodded, "Get ready to go, I'm gonna go file these." Punk said, picking the reports up and walking on down the offices and out to reception where he saw AJ standing signing in.

"Are you ever out of here?" Punk shook his head, passing the reports to Joan who scurried away into the back.

"I do sort of… need to be sometimes." AJ shook her head, "Don't pretend that you don't love seeing me here. It's your favourite part of your day." She said smugly.

"Least favourite." Punk corrected, "I thought you were at trial."

"I was, and I won." AJ smiled, "Taking on a new case and I need to talk to one of the officers who was at the crime scene." She told him as Punk nodded slowly, "Shift over?" She asked him, signing in some forms as Punk watched her. She just had this vibe about her, it was like magnetic. She absolutely got on his last nerves but whenever she was around he just couldn't help stare.

"Just beginning actually." Punk said, "Friday night, we have a field day out there." He nodded.

"Going out and ruining everyone's fun?" AJ asked him, "You suck."

"Yeah, that's what we do." Punk nodded.

"Oh, I know it is." AJ smiled, sliding over the form to Joan, "Well have fun." She nodded, brushing by him and into the back, passing by Dean who looked at her strangely.

"Where is she off to?" Dean asked, walking over to Punk.

"She's speaking to one of the guys about a case." Punk shrugged, "Ready to go?"

"I'm never ready for Friday night." Dean grumbled, "But… someone's gotta do it." He shrugged as they walked on out of the station and into the car.

* * *

"I hate pubs." Punk shook his head, walking on out of a busy pub with Dean later on into their shift.

"I hate drunks." Dean groaned after being called to the pub after too many drunks had gotten out of hand. Sometimes their work didn't consist of anything that big. Sometimes it was just breaking up a fight and giving a warning, however, it took no time to change into something drastic.

"Hey have you figured out what you're gonna do when Lia wants to go back to work? Where is Eva gonna go?" Punk asked, getting back into the car with him.

"Well I think Lia said she'd only go back for a few days. And plus her mom is retired and likes babysitting so… don't think it should be an issue." Dean shrugged, "You spoke to Cami again?"

"No, I haven't saw her. She's in fucking denial. It's like she thinks she's worthless without him, and let's face it, he's a piece of shit." Punk said.

"I know but maybe she loves him-"

"He's abusive and gives her drugs. Why would anyone love that?" Punk shook his head, "It's my mom's fault."

"Ok, normally yeah, I agree your mom is shit, but… this hasn't got anything to do with her?"

"No, it does." Punk nodded, "As soon as she left when Cami was fifteen, that's when she started hanging around with different people, going out drinking, not coming home. I mean… not that my mom made much of a difference being here anyway, but her leaving was just another reason for Cami to let herself go. I was already grown up and used to my mom being useless." Punk shook his head.

"Why'd she leave anyway?" Dean asked.

"She said she needed to get away. Her mind wasn't in a good place. So she went and stayed with an old cousin of hers. Only comes back every now and then to pretend she cares." Punk shook his head, "I do care, you know. About Cami." Punk said.

"Hey, I know you do." Dean nodded, "She's your little sister. Of course you care."

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to do at this point. I can't… I can't chase her around. She needs to make the decision to get out. She's nineteen years old for Christ sake. She's too young for this shit."

"Maybe you should sit her down and have a serious talk-"

"I've done that a thousand times. She just gets mad and leaves." Punk said.

"Well like you said, it's gotta be her that makes the decision. You don't suppose he's… holding something against her?"

"No, she's just in denial." Punk said just as their radio began to pick up in the car, listening on as they heard another officer call in for them, "Did he just say-"

"187." Dean nodded, "Well fuck." He said as Punk immediately started the car and sped away to where they were being called to.

* * *

AJ got home later that night, exhausted and ready for her bed. Some days she felt her hectic job catching up to her and just wanted to sleep for hours and hours. It was hard to be so consistent when she lived with bipolar disorder, but she'd gotten used to it and knew all the things that worked best for her.

She dumped her work and headed for a shower. She wasn't hiding who she was by any means, but she kept herself private. No one in her place of work or her daily life could even guess what her life had been like before she became a successful lawyer, and she wanted it kept that way.

She got out of the shower and put on some pyjamas, so excited to jump straight into bed when she heard a knock on the door. She shook her head, wondering who was mad with her this time.

She headed downstairs and walked over to the door, opening it up and finding herself smiling as she saw her big brother standing, whom she hadn't saw in over a year.

"Dominic." AJ smiled.

"Hey, sis." Her brother, Dominic, smiled as he stepped into her house, "Were you sleeping?" He asked her.

"About to." AJ said, closing the door over, "What are you doing here in the states?" AJ shook her head with surprise in her voice.

"I'm here to see my little sister of course." Dominic smiled. He was a few years older than AJ and had always been her fiercest protector growing up in the streets of Puerto Rico. He had scars on his face to prove it, "How have you been?" He nudged her, wandering into the living room with her.

"I've been ok. Working." AJ nodded.

"As always." Dominic smiled.

"How is mom and dad?" AJ asked. Her parents and brother lived over in Puerto Rico. She was born there, but brought to the states as a teen. When her parents and brother decided to move back over there for many different reasons, she'd just been accepted to law school and refused to give up on that opportunity. She was glad she made the choice she did.

"They're ok. Getting by." Dominic said, "What about you? You're taking care of yourself, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course." AJ smiled to him, "So you just came over to visit me?" AJ shook her head with confusion, "You're not usually this nice."

"Over to see some friends and of course you." Dominic nodded, "It's been too long since we last saw each other."

"I know." AJ sighed, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he hugged her back, "I've missed you." She said. They were very close growing up. They had to be throughout everything they went through as kids and teens.

"I've missed you too." Dominic nodded, "Still pissing people off in court?"

"Every day it seems." AJ smiled up at him, "How long are you staying?" AJ asked, parting from the hug, "I can make the couch up for you."

"Oh, no I got a place. Just a motel."

"You could have stayed here for free." AJ scoffed.

"I know but I didn't want to intrude or anything?"

"On who? Me myself and I?" AJ laughed a little.

"Good. Still no boyfriend?" Dominic smiled.

"Always no boyfriend." AJ smiled as Dominic smirked and nodded.

"It's what I like to hear." Dominic smiled, wandering over to the living room window and peering out, trying to be subtle and discrete but AJ caught on.

"Looking for something?" AJ laughed a little with confusion, folding her arms. As much as she loved her brother with all her heart, she knew that where he went, trouble followed, it had always been that way since she remembered.

"No." Dominic turned back to her and smiled, almost too quickly, "Hey, why don't… me and you order a pizza, we get the cards out, it'll be like old times when mom and dad used to leave us in the bed sit to go find money." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders as AJ smiled and nodded, "If you're not too tired."

"I… actually haven't ate come to think about it." AJ nodded, "Ok."

"Ok, you call. Extra cheese like always. I'm gonna go use the bathroom." He told her, disappearing upstairs as AJ smiled to herself. She was glad to have him here, but then her smile faded as she was reminded of him so wearily looking out of her living room window. She stayed in close touch with him. She only saw him in person every now and then but they were still very close, but she knew it was rare for him to show up unexpectedly.


	7. No Connections

**No Connections**

* * *

"Rough night last night, boys, huh?" Ian said the next morning as he saw Punk and Dean tiredly walk in the doors.

"Tell me about it." Dean groaned.

"What happened? I only got a brief story told to me." Ian said.

"A body was found in an apartment. Name is Greg. Works on construction. We've not found anything yet to say why he'd be murdered. Forensics think his body had been there for at least a day."

"Who phoned?" Ian asked.

"Lady upstairs. Said she hadn't saw him come out of his apartment all day and he was always in and out. Said she also heard loud shouting the previous night before last." Punk said.

"Has the guy got family?" Ian asked.

"Not that we could find." Dean said.

"Cause of death?" Ian asked.

"It was… pretty bad." Punk nodded, still seeing the image fresh in his mind. They never got used to seeing dead bodies, not at all, "He was definitely beaten. He had a stab wound on his neck, looks like he bled out from there but he had another stab wound on his side too."

"Checking under his fingernails for DNA?"

"Forensics are on it." Dean said, "We're now trying to figure out his connections with people. I mean, for someone to go in and want to hurt him, they didn't just want to kill him, they wanted to hurt him… they had to have known him." He said, "We're thinking maybe a work colleague, maybe an old friend." Dean said, "We're looking into it."

"Ok." Ian nodded, "I have a slight proposal that you both might not like." He said as Punk and Dean raised a brow.

"You probably shouldn't propose it then." Punk said.

"Well, April Mendez is taking over the case for the house robbery, it happened some time last year. I checked to see who was on call and it was… you two." He said, "I need you to testify for the DA-"

"What?" Punk shook his head, "No, I don't do court."

"You're a cop. You do court. You were there, you need to say what happened."

"So we're testifying against April? Have you met her? She'll squeeze all the life out of us until we're blue in the face." Dean shook his head.

"Look, I know it's not ideal but… you two were there, you were witnesses, it's part of the gig. It doesn't go to trial for a few weeks. Don't tell April you'll be there. It's just a few questions. You've both done it before." Ian said.

"You're a pain in my ass." Punk shook his head as Dean nodded in agreement.

"Needs to be done." Ian shrugged, "Take it easy on this murder case. Don't scunner yourselves." He said.

"Someone has to deal with it." Punk said, "We're gonna go out, live a day in his life, see where he goes, who he speaks with, talk to the lady upstairs." Punk nodded, "Hopefully forensics will get back by the end of the day." He said.

"Well I'll let you know if they are." Ian said, walking off back to his office as Punk turned to Dean.

"I hate that bastard. Making us testify." Punk said.

"We were there." Dean defended.

"What a nightmare." Punk sighed, "We gotta make sure AJ doesn't find out." He said as Dean nodded, "Speak of the devil, literally." Punk turned around as he saw AJ walk in the swing doors, struggling to get in with all of the things she was carrying as Punk and Dean just watched her.

"Don't rush to help me." AJ groaned a little, shuffling in the door.

"We won't." Punk mumbled.

"It's hot out there." AJ moaned a little, "I should take the day off." She spoke to herself, walking on up to the reception, "What happened last night? Someone die?" She asked, hearing it on the news on her way in, handing some papers to Joan who headed into the back to file them.

"Yeah, body was found in an apartment." Punk nodded.

"What was it? Fall on the head?" AJ asked him.

"No. He bled to death." Punk said bluntly as AJ looked over to him.

"Well you guys must have a stomach for that." AJ said.

"No one has a stomach for that sort of thing." Dean shook his head, "Why are you here?" He asked her.

"I had some work I need to give to a client and go over some things." AJ said, "Is that ok with you two?" She asked them as they both just nodded in sync, "Good. I'm glad." She said, walking off down the corridor as Punk shook his head.

"You think she has a boyfriend?" Dean asked.

"No." Punk scoffed, "Who would put up with her?" He rolled his eyes.

"Surely her working personality is different from her… not working personality." Dean said, "She can't be like that all the time."

"I think she is." Punk said, "I don't know. She's just weird." He groaned, "C'mon lets go." He said.

* * *

"He was such a nice boy." A woman shook her head sadly, whom they had got to know as Helen, who lived upstairs from the man who was found dead, "He always helped me with my groceries if we came home at the same time."

"And he lived alone?" Dean asked, standing with Punk in the woman's apartment.

"Yeah he lived alone. He's been in relationships of course but… he lived there alone." Helen said, "I never heard of him speak of his family."

"Yeah, we're having trouble locating them. We don't think he's been in contact with them for a long time." Punk nodded, "What about any friends of his? Did he have a lot of friends?"

"Just an average amount." Helen said, "I never really saw them. I could hear when he had company of course, but they were never overly loud. It just seemed like a few. Maybe a few work friends. He worked in construction."

"You ever hear any fights or anything?" Punk asked her.

"Only that one a few nights ago." Helen said.

"Could you make out how many people were there? Or what they were saying?" Punk asked.

"There was a few voices." Helen said, "Definitely more than one. I wasn't sure what they were saying but it was angry voices, not just… talking." She nodded for sure.

"And was that the last time you heard him in his apartment? Did it go dead silent immediately after those people left?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it felt like it. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Then when I didn't see him coming home at his usual time I knocked on his door. He didn't answer and that was unusual. I just wanted to make sure he was ok." She said sadly as Punk and Dean nodded, "Who would want to do that to him? He was so sweet."

"We don't know yet." Dean said, "We're figuring it out. Did you see what those guys looked like or did you just hear them?"

"I just heard them." Helen said.

"Did you hear anything they said during their fight? Even just… key words?" Punk asked.

"I did hear something about the wrong girl. That's what one of them said." Helen nodded, "So maybe it's a jealous ex-boyfriend or something." Helen said as Dean took note and nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said, "Well thank you for your time, miss."

* * *

"Surely this isn't just some jealous guy who found out his girl was fooling around with him. I mean, does that really justify stabbing someone in the neck?" Punk turned to Dean in the car later that day after they had done their rounds of investigating.

"If it was to do with a girl there wouldn't be other people either, surely. It'd just be… one on one." Dean said, "I guess some guys are cowards."

"We need to find out who those guys were who went into his apartment. I mean, they were the last people to see him alive, so potentially, our suspects." Punk said, "And if it's over a damn girl, God help me." Punk rolled his eyes.

"I say we try find the girl." Dean nodded, "Go through his phone."

"We did. There was nothing on it." Punk shrugged.

"I'm talking about contacting all the girls on his phone, ask to speak to them." Dean said.

"What if Helen just heard things." Punk said.

"Then fuck Helen." Dean shook his head, "If we can find someone of a mutual friend connected to these guys who visited him that night, then we can maybe find them." Dean said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, ok. Let's get back to the station." Punk said.

* * *

"Have you been sleeping all day?" AJ asked, getting home late afternoon where she saw her brother still lying up on the couch half sleeping.

"No… no, I just lay back down." Dominic lied.

"Dominic, I call out liars for a living." AJ reminded him.

"Maybe, you also protect liars." Dominic reminded her.

"If they deserve it." AJ said, "How long are you even staying here for?" She asked him, dumping her things down and taking her coat off as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Just a few days before I go back to the states." Dominic told her, "You know mom and dad really want you to come back home."

"No they don't." AJ smiled a little.

"They do." Dominic said, "I do too. I miss you." He nodded.

"Yeah, I miss you too, but I have a job here, a house, a life." AJ reminded him.

"You're alone out here, though." Dominic reminded her.

"I'd be alone back in Puerto Rico too." AJ shrugged, "I'm used to it."

"You can still be a lawyer in Puerto Rico." Dominic said, "Trust me, there's a ton of people needing your help there-"

"My job is here. My life is here." AJ said a little more sternly, "And I'm not moving."

"You feel closer to her here, I get that." Dominic said, "But mom and dad miss you."

"No they don't, Dominic. If they did, they would visit me more." She said, "Me and mom just bicker and dad doesn't know what to say to me half the time."

"We're still a family." Dominic said.

"Is this why you came over? To try and get me to come back?" She asked him a little angrily.

"No, I really did come to see some friends and I just wanted to see how you are, but… I would be lying if I said I wished I could see you more. It's not like how it used to be back home. Mom and dad have a house, we have stability-"

"I have stability here." AJ told him.

"If it's about Sofia-"

"It's not!" AJ threw her hands up in the air and laughed, "Why do you always assume that?"

"Because I know how it affected you." Dominic said, "And I know a lot of what you do, reflects on what happened-"

"That's not true." AJ shook her head, "It's not about her. I'm staying here because I have a life here. I have a job. Clients. A home-"

"And no one to talk to?" Dominic asked, "Half empty box of condoms in the bathroom, though?" He arched a brow, "So you do have a boyfriend?"

"No. I don't. I like sex. And you should mind your own business." AJ spat, "If this is why you came to see me, you've wasted your time." She shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Hey. I'm not gonna force you, I'm just telling you that you're missed." Dominic made clear.

"Well I appreciate that, but it's not gonna guilt trip me into packing up my life and moving over to Puerto Rico." She said, "I've had… a long day." AJ sighed, placing her hand on her forehead.

"I can tell." Dominic said quietly.

"I'm gonna shower. Take a nap if I have time before I tuck into more work." AJ nodded, "Maybe… you could go see those friends of yours or something for a little while." She said as Dominic looked across at her and nodded.

"Still pushing people away, I see." Dominic nodded, "I'll get out your hair." He said, walking away to go get ready as AJ placed her hands on her hips and sighed to herself.


	8. Picked Up

**Picked Up**

* * *

"Ok, we went through his phone, contacted some of the girls, none of them were with him under seedy circumstances." Punk shrugged, standing in Ian's office with Dean, "We also went around his work, asked a few people some things, but he was actually pretty distant from those he worked with. Seemed like a lonely guy so… bizarre that these people came to his house, whoever they are."

"Could be something simple." Ian shrugged.

"I don't think so somehow." Dean said, "He was stabbed in the neck and beaten up, these people, however many there were, they wanted to inflict pain." He said, "Which means they had to have known him, but if it's not to do with a girl, and it's not anyone from his work, who the hell could it be?"

"Maybe he's got some friends, like old high school friends?" Punk shrugged.

"Why would they wanna kill him? I mean, you fall out with your best friend but… you don't want to kill them." Dean shook his head.

"Well maybe he done something really bad." Punk shrugged as Ian listened in.

"Forensics came back with anything?" Ian asked them.

"Nothing they could find. No DNA under his nails. None on his body. Must have been wearing gloves or something." Dean said.

"Which means they're clever and the murder was pre-meditated." Punk added.

"Ok, what about credit card bills? Find out where he was the week before his death? If you think it's maybe old high school friends then check his year book, see who his best friends were." Ian nodded, "And get preparing to testify soon."

"Oh, go away with that." Punk shook his head.

"It won't be long. A simple few questions. April will cross you and then you go. Just… whatever you do, don't fucking lie." Ian groaned.

"We barely even saw anything that night." Dean said.

"Well good, that makes your job easier then." Ian said, "Goes to trial in a few weeks so just make sure you have something to say." He told them, "You're both doing good for this case, though. Best workers I have on the force." He complimented, "But get out of my office now." He nodded as Punk and Dean just shook their heads and left the office.

* * *

AJ got downstairs the next morning after showering and getting ready, walking on into the kitchen where she saw her brother sitting having breakfast. They hadn't spoken in a day after they had a little dispute. She felt bad, but not bad enough to feel like she had to apologise for anything. She'd made a home for herself here. Something she hadn't had all her life, and she didn't want to move back to where things used to be hard.

"Morning." AJ said quietly.

"Morning." Dominic nodded, "Off to work?"

"Yeah." AJ nodded.

"Well my flights at noon so… I guess I won't see you." Dominic said as AJ nodded, "You know I'd never force you to come to Puerto Rico. I was just… putting it out there."

"Dominic, to be honest, that isn't why I was upset. Don't.. throw Sofia's name at me, like I base my entire life around what happened to her. Because I don't." AJ made clear.

"I know. That was wrong of me." Dominic put his hands up, "But I know you miss her every day and this is… where you met her… and this is where it all happened." He said, "I don't know if that's what keeps you here or-"

"What keeps me here is my job, my house, the life I have whether it's a lonely one or not." AJ said, "You of all people should understand that having a home is a big deal, and I wanna keep it. I'm steady here. My health is good." She said, "I know, I miss you too, I would have you move back here if I could, but it's not gonna work and we just have to accept that. Both of us." She said as Dominic nodded.

"I know." Dominic said, "I just… thought I'd put it out there." He said as AJ just nodded, "And I didn't mean to use Sofia against you. I know you were like sisters and everything that happened… sometimes I feel partly to blame."

"No, you are not to blame." AJ shook her head, "You know who is to blame." She said, "It should have been me. You heard them. They got the wrong girl. It wasn't supposed to be here." AJ shook her head.

"You can't think that." Dominic said, "It's in the past. I know it still haunts you, it haunts me, but… we all moved on from it."

"She lost her life." AJ shook her head, "At such a young age." She said, "And she was… the only friend I'd ever made. The only one."

"I know." Dominic said, "But… you know that any other friends you make, that's not gonna happen." He reminded her.

"You don't know that." AJ said frantically.

"You can't let it stop you from… having relationships, friendships, not everyone you know is gonna get hurt." He reminded her, "I mean don't you wanna… get married one day, have kids?" He asked her.

"I'll pass on it if it avoids… going through all of that-"

"You can't think like that." Dominic stood up, "I know it's hard and it feels like it will never go away, but it will." He said.

"My life is fine." AJ told him, "The way it is."

"I'm not saying it isn't." Dominic said, "I'm saying, you don't have to be afraid or live in the past so much. I know you still do. And I'm saying this because I care about you."

"If I wanted friends or husbands I would have them." AJ said.

"Husbands?" Dominic smiled.

"One for through the week, one for the weekend." AJ shrugged as Dominic smiled.

"I trust you and I know you would. I just worry about you out here all alone." Dominic said, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged back.

"I'm fine. I'm better here than back in Puerto Rico. Trust me." AJ said, hugging him back, "But of course I miss you. I'm gonna miss you." She said.

"I'll try get back over soon." He said, kissing her head and hugging her tightly.

* * *

"Nothing on his credit cards." Punk shook his head, walking over to Dean's desk and throwing down the records.

"And he wasn't in his year books. I don't think he finished high school. Which probably meant he was an outsider or something." Dean said as Punk collapsed down beside him at the desks.

"So what… a pair of ghosts just walked in and killed him? Because that's what it feels like." Punk shook his head as Dean nodded, spinning around on the chair whilst Punk looked on at his computer on the system, typing Greg's full name into the system.

"Wait a minute." Punk sat up, "Says here he was interviewed over a homicide a lot of years ago." He said as Dean shuffled over and looked on, "Cops didn't find anything on him, though so that was it." He said, looking on at the computer.

"Has to be irrelevant then. Especially looking at how long ago that was." He noticed as Punk just hmm'd to himself, "Maybe we should try his work again. I mean, some people are good at lying to cops remember."

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "We'll go back, ask some more questions tomorrow."

"Yeah, my shift is over now anyway." Dean said, "I gotta get home to my baby." He stretched tiredly as Punk laughed a little.

"Won't she be sleeping?" Punk looked at the time on the computer.

"Sleep? You think babies sleep?" Dean laughed hysterically, "You think I sleep anymore? What is sleep?" He asked as Punk smiled, "No, she'll be up, screaming probably, throwing toys at the wall. The usual." He stood up as Punk smiled.

"Well good luck with that. Sounds like she needs some anger management therapy." Punk said.

"Yeah, you'd know about that, wouldn't you?" Dean nudged him.

"Yeah, ok. Shut up." Punk said, "Get out of here." He waved his hand as Dean smiled and headed out of the station to go home.

* * *

Technically Punk's shift was over when Dean's was, but he wound up staying late in the station to finish off some reports and rack his brain on the case they were working on. He only realised the time when he looked around the station and saw the rows of desks and offices empty with just a few cops here and there.

He groaned to himself, rubbing his hands over his face and stretching, logging off the computer and getting his things together just as he saw a fellow officer approach him.

"Hey, Brooks. We got your little sister in custody." He said as Punk turned to him.

"What? For what?" Punk shook his head with worry.

"She was at… a street corner." The officer nodded as Punk looked across at him, "And we found her with drugs on her. Not that I think you should deal with it but… maybe you should-" Before he could even suggest that he go talk to her, Punk had already pushed by him and was on his way down to the cells, angry, worried and confused.

He walked as far along and in through the doors where they kept people in custody in the cells, looking over as he saw Cami sitting with shorts and t-shirt on, no shoes and very clearly high on something.

"Keys?" Punk asked the guard, taking them from him and unlocking the gate, tossing them back to the guard.

"Oh, you're here." Cami smiled.

"Get up." Punk said.

"Ok ok." Cami stood up and walked out of the cell, following her brother into what looked like one of the interviewing rooms, "Have I… I don't think I've ever been in one of these before." Cami said, walking around the room as Punk shook his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Punk spat as Cami turned around, "Street corners, Cam? Really? That's where we're going for this?"

"I… No, I wasn't going to sleep with anyone." Cami told him, "No, what I do is I tell them to… to pay up front. Some are so desperate that they do and then I run with the money. I've done it before. You know how fast I can run." She smiled to him.

"Why the fuck are you smiling about this?" Punk asked, "You've been arrested. You're clearly using again. You could go to prison."

"Could I?" Cami asked him worriedly.

"Yeah, Camila. You could." Punk said sternly.

"Oh, don't call me that." Cami sighed, sitting down at the small table, "Justin needed some money for us-"

"What? For more drugs?" Punk spat, "Did he tell you to go out on the streets?"

"No. No, I said I would go. No, I wasn't selling myself. I told you… I just take the money and run. So many idiots give the money. It's always best to do it on the train, so I can jump onto another one going in a different direction." She told him.

"This kills me, you do know that?" Punk said as she looked over to him with bloodshot eyes, "You are wasting your god damn life with this shit, and there's nothing I can say or do anymore that makes you listen to a thing I say." He said, "Whether you say you do it or not, this is where things are gonna end up, you're gonna be out there depending on anything for a fix, that's what happens to addicts." Punk nodded, "And as your brother, I can't sit back and do nothing."

"I'm not your problem." Cami mumbled to herself.

"No you are. Because I apparently am the only person that cares about you and your health. Mom certaintly doesn't, where the fuck has she been? Your boyfriend… he encourages this shit." He said, "When are you gonna open your damn eyes?" He spat, "You could go to prison, in fact, you most likely will serve some time for possession of drugs and prostitution-"

"But I wasn't-"

"Cami, you were. You were picked up from a street corner waving down cars. Whether the intention was there or not, cops don't care about that." Punk said.

"I don't wanna go to prison." Cami huffed, still high and confused as Punk groaned and ran his hand through his hair just as the officer dealing with it came in.

"Phil, you can't have her in here. She needs to go back to the cell." The officer said as Punk sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, ok, man." Punk nodded as Cami got up and escorted back out of the room. As a cop, he knew the state went hard on drug related crimes and offences, which meant if Cami was arrested and it went to trial, she would need a good lawyer to defend her…


	9. The Help

**The Help**

* * *

"Why are you looking at me like that?" AJ asked, side-eyeing Punk who stood watching her at reception the next morning as she signed in to go talk to her client whom she was representing in court in a few days after the trial was pushed forward.

"I need your help." Punk said, as annoyed as he was to ask her.

"With?" AJ raised a brow.

"I need you to represent my little sister in court." Punk nodded as AJ looked at him with confusion, "It's nothing too deep, but she could do time if she gets stuck with a shitty lawyer." He said.

"I don't think you can afford me, sweetie." AJ smiled.

"I'll pay whatever it is." Punk said, "I don't want her going to prison. It'll make things worse. She'll meet people in there." He said as AJ saw how worried he was and suddenly felt a little bad, "Please." He nodded to her as AJ folded her arms.

"What'd she do?" AJ asked curiously.

"Possession of drugs and prostitution." Punk said as AJ nodded slowly, "She's nineteen."

"Nineteen?" AJ shook her head with confusion. She knew him for years but of course she didn't actually know him. She didn't even know he had a sister. She knew pretty much nothing about him.

"The prostitution thing is blown out of proportion. But they'll probably try and charge her for it." Punk nodded, "And I know you can get people off with probation with these types of crimes."

"Which you always look down on me for." AJ pointed out.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry about that, I'm a jerk, I know. But… she needs the help." Punk said, "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't really desperate." He said as AJ just nodded.

"Yeah, ok." AJ said, "I need to clear up this case first that I'm working on. It's a robbery." She said as Punk groaned internally as he realised he still had to testify for it which she didn't know about, "Tell your sister to take the shitty lawyer they give her, she can then fire him once I get done with this case and I'll take over from there." She told him.

"Great." Punk nodded, "Thank you." He said as AJ just nodded. She'd never saw him so genuine and worried before and it showed her a little more of a moral and softer side to him than she was used to. She knew she didn't owe him anything, but he seemed worried and desperate, and she prided herself on not turning down clients.

* * *

"What if I go in here and testify and she doesn't help me with my sister anymore?" Punk asked, standing in court a few days later, getting ready to go in and take the stand. He didn't play a big part in it, but he knew it would hurt AJ's case and he was worried that would put her off helping his sister.

"They barely even asked me anything. AJ was fine." Dean said, having already testified, "You're overthinking it."

"Am I?" Punk said.

"You are." Dean nodded, "Just go and say the truth, it'll be over in five minutes." He shrugged, "I'll wait out the front for you." He told him as Punk nodded.

Punk waited around a little before he was called for, walking into the court from the side door and onto the stand, scared to glance over to AJ, doing so and watching as she just shook her head in his direction, flicking her pen back and forth whilst she sat with her client.

"Mrs King, your witness." The judge nodded over to Dana as AJ sat back on her chair and kept her eyes on Punk.

"Mr Brooks, you were the second police officer called to the house of the robbery that night, yes?" Dana asked, standing in front of Punk.

"I was." Punk nodded, trying not to look at AJ. If looks could kill, he would have most certainly been dead.

"When you pulled up to the house that night with your fellow officer Mr Dean Ambrose, where was everyone around the house?"

"The woman of the house was outside waiting on us. Her children were in her car. She said she put them there because she didn't feel her house was safe anymore." Punk answered.

"And Mr Brooks, the man which this woman described to you the second you pulled up, did it match this man here." She pointed over to AJ's client as Punk looked over.

"Yes, it did." Punk nodded.

"When you caught this man, Mr Jones, how did he look?" Dana asked.

"Uh… frightened. Nervous. Like he'd been… caught out." Punk nodded.

"Would you say he looked guilty?" Dana asked.

"Yeah, I would." Punk nodded.

"No further questions your honour." Dana smiled, walking back over to her table.

"Your cross, Miss Mendez." The judge nodded to AJ who stood up and nodded.

"Mr Brooks, would it be correct to say when you arrived at the house, no locks were broken and no windows were smashed?" AJ asked.

"Correct." Punk nodded.

"So there was actually no sign of forced entry?" AJ asked.

"No, not forced but the woman of the house stated she'd left a window open in the kitchen-"

"You're suggesting my client climbed through the window?" AJ asked.

"That's what we suspected." Punk nodded.

"Well then how would these stories match up as the woman of the house said in her written testimony that she heard the break in come from the front of the house. When the kitchen is at the back?" AJ asked.

"Maybe she was late in hearing things." Punk shrugged.

"Maybe." AJ said, "When you arrested my client, did he have any items belonging to the house on him?"

"No, he did not." Punk said.

"So then what did the woman of the house claim he had robbed her of?" AJ asked, "What did she say to you?"

"She told us that someone had broken into her house, she wasn't sure if they'd taken anything. She was scared. Had young kids in the house. She was hard to make sense of." Punk told her.

"Couldn't it be apparent that this woman just heard things?" AJ asked, "Forgot to lock her front door, heard a creak on the floor boards down stairs and panicked?"

"She said to me she saw a man run across the street when she made it downstairs, with his description fitting your client."

"Could be anyone running across the street, your honour." AJ shrugged, "So when you arrived at the house, there was no sign of forced entry, no items taken, no damage done, and a very hysterical woman?"

"Asked and answered, your honour." Dana stood up.

"Move on, Miss Mendez." The judge nodded.

"I have no further questions your honour." AJ said, walking back to her desk as Punk watched her, watching as her eyes latched onto his as she sat back down.

* * *

"April, wait a second." Punk said, having waited around for AJ to come out of the court room.

"Oh, go away." AJ shook her head, walking down the court as he followed her.

"No, just listen to me. I had no choice. I was a witness. The police officer who attended to the call. I had to testify." Punk nodded.

"No one forces anyone to testify." AJ made clear.

"But I was a witness." Punk said.

"You can kiss my ass goodbye at helping your sister after that." AJ said.

"No, wait a minute." Punk said as AJ paused and turned into him, "I'm sorry about having to do that but it's part of my job, just like it's part of your job to free guys who I arrest and who I know are guilty." He said, "It's just part of it. I really need your help… my sister needs your help. She's a kid. She's got no one but me and I can't let her go to prison. She'll come out ten times worse." He said as AJ sighed and looked down at the ground.

"I can't guarantee you I can get her off. Drugs is easy to divert around. Prostitution is a whole other ball game. The DA will tear her to shreds." AJ said.

"And that's why she needs you." Punk said.

"Suddenly you like how I work now? It's ok to represent your drug addict sister but not the drug addict next door? That's how it works?" AJ asked him as Punk sighed.

"She's just a kid and she's not… had the best start in life." Punk said as AJ looked over at him. By him saying that she was all he had, she only assumed that his parents weren't in the picture, "Please. I'm sorry about having to do this today but it's part of my job sometimes. It's nothing against you." He said.

"I'm sure it isn't." AJ folded her arms, "Ok, fine. This case should be wrapped up by the weekend. Tell your sister I'll come by and visit her when I'm done with this." She nodded.

"She's still in jail. They're not letting her out on bail." Punk said.

"Well drug offences they don't like to." AJ nodded, "Well then I'll come visit her there then." AJ said, "As long as you stay out of that court room and keep your mouth shut." She warned as Punk put his hands up, "Making me look like a damn fool in there." She hissed as Punk just smiled at her determination. He admired how much her job meant to her, that was one thing he always liked about her.

"I will owe you big time." Punk said.

"Yeah, you will." AJ nodded, "Stay away from me, I'm still mad you just did that." She waved her hand as he just smiled and nodded, watching her walk off as he took a deep breath, glad she was still going to give him some help, or more so his sister.

* * *

"Alright, don't say anything to me that is irrelevant, don't forget to tell me things because someone out there will most likely know and if it's brought up in court and I don't know about it I'll punch you in the face. Don't act like my friend, I'm not your friend." She made clear, "And then I usually tell my male clients to keep their hands to themselves… well, until they're out of hot water." She smirked and winked, "But… I think you've got the idea." AJ said, sitting down across from Cami who sat in silence watching AJ, "I'm April." She said.

After wrapping up her case, she had eventually got round to visiting Cami like she promised to help her, not because she wanted to do Punk a favour but because she got into her job for the very reason to help people like Cami. Young people who needed help more than they needed punishment. Meanwhile Punk was continuing to work on the homicide case with Dean, glad to know his sister stood a chance in court with the likes of AJ with her.

"Cami." Cami nodded, "Camila." She rephrased as AJ nodded.

"Ok ok." AJ nodded, skimming through some files as Cami watched her.

"Phil said you're gonna get me off." Cami nodded as AJ looked up at her.

"Phil says a lot of things he shouldn't." AJ reminded her.

"He said you're the best lawyer he knows." Cami said as AJ looked across at her and paused for a second, smiling ever so lightly to herself as she looked back down at her books.

"Well maybe he speaks sense sometimes." AJ nodded, "Ok, drug possession is better than dealing so we have that to work with. We can divert and go for a rehab program and probation but… the prostitution thing is a pain in the ass." She said, "I know he's your brother and maybe you don't want to say, but… were you really… out there… being a prostitute?" AJ asked bluntly.

"No." Cami said, "Really, I wasn't. I just take their money and run."

"Well, I can't say that in court. Turns you into a thief." AJ shook her head, "I can use your age." She nodded to herself, "What about your upbringing?" AJ asked her.

"What about it?" Cami asked.

"Mom or dad in the picture?" AJ asked her.

"Never met my dad, mom left town when I was fifteen, Phil's been the only one there for me." She nodded.

"Where do you live?" AJ asked her, scribbling things down.

"In an apartment a few blocks away." Cami said.

"With?" AJ asked.

"Boyfriend. Justin." Cami said, "Yes, also on drugs." Cami said before she got to ask.

"Ok, that's good. We can use him-"

"No you can't bring him into it." Cami said worriedly as AJ looked across at her.

"Why not?" AJ asked.

"Because I don't want him getting into trouble." Cami sighed as AJ raised a brow.

"I'm gonna say this to you because I don't think many people have." AJ said, placing her pen down slowly, "He doesn't care. I don't know about your story, I don't know about him, I don't really care, but I know enough to see that he doesn't give a shit about you. He doesn't care if you go to prison, if you start selling yourself on the street, if you overdose on his filthy drugs he gives you… he does not care about or love you." AJ made clear, "Now as a woman, I'm offended that you've taken this much shit from him to the point where you are in jail for drug possession and prostitution." AJ said, "He doesn't control you or own you. You're not his. You are you. On your own." She said as Cami looked across at her.

"Phil told me you were scary." Cami admitted.

"Sweetheart, I'm not trying to scare you. I'm trying to open your damn eyes. I get it. You're young, you probably didn't aspire to end up on drugs in the way you are right now, but no one is gonna help you better than you can help you." AJ said, "You're a beautiful young girl. You can't waste yourself on this shit. Because it will win in the end. You won't." She said, "Now I don't know you, I don't really want to know you, you're just another client to me, but from girl to girl… c'mon, sweetheart." AJ nodded as Cami nodded with her.

"It's just really hard." Cami shook her head.

"I know." AJ said, "I know it is. But we can get by these problems in life if we help ourselves." AJ nodded, "Ok… now tell me everything from the night you were arrested."


	10. Helping

**Helping**

* * *

"I heard AJ is defending your sister." Dean said, sitting beside Punk at the desks as Punk nodded, "Feel like a hypocrite?"

"I'm doing what I have to do for her." Punk said, "I can't let her go to prison. She'll meet people there. Come out ten times worse." He said, "I can't think of anyone better to represent her." He said.

"I'm just surprised she agreed to help you considering how mean we always are to her." Dean admitted.

"I think she could see how desperate I was." Punk said.

"How is Cami holding up?" Dean asked.

"She's ok. At least this way I know she's safe and not using anything, even if she has been arrested." He shook his head, "The trial won't be long so hopefully AJ can get her off with like a few month's probation and a rehab program." He said.

"Yeah but they don't treat prostitution lightly in court. Handful of the girls we've arrested for it always seem to do time." Dean said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just… depending on AJ to come up with something." Punk sighed, "I thought she was gonna tell me to fuck off once I testified the other day. She was pissed."

"She's fucking terrifying in court. She kept leering over at me." Dean shivered as Punk smiled a little.

"I waited on her after it and had to apologise to make sure she still represented my sister." Punk said.

"Apologise for what? We had to do it, it's part of our job, we were there." Dean said.

"I know but I still had to do it." Punk nodded, "She said I'll owe her which means I'll probably have to… do something illegal for her." He rolled his eyes.

"Well let's just hope she can work her magic and give Cami the help." Dean nodded, "Although, surely this has to be a wakeup call for her. She can't go on like this." Dean said.

"I know." Punk nodded, "She needs out of that apartment, away from her boyfriend. She needs a new job, a rehab program and a routine." He said, "I think I'm just gonna tell her to live with me once she's done at court. She can have my spare room, I'll fix it up, and she can live there until I think she's ready for her own place or most importantly, she has the money." Punk said.

"What if you wanna bring girls home?" Dean asked worriedly.

"I'll just go to their house. It's easier to get away in the morning anyway rather than having to tell them to leave your place." He said.

"You're horrible." Dean laughed, "You need a girlfriend to tame you."

"I don't need tamed." Punk defended.

"You do, you're a mess." Dean said as Punk just shook his head, "So I went back to our guy's work, absolutely nothing suspicious going on. Most of them had alibis, some of them didn't even know the guy, they all looked pretty shocked too about what happened. I don't think that's the route we should be looking in." He said truthfully.

"Yeah, I agree." Punk nodded, "It's been bugging me that he was interviewed for this murder. Sofia Moreno." Punk looked on at his computer, "She was…" He looked at the details and groaned to himself, "Beaten, raped and murdered. Multiple suspects involved but… the case was never closed." Punk said as Dean moved along and looked on.

"She was eighteen?" Dean shook his head, "Fucking scumbags." He spat as Punk nodded in agreement, "Maybe our guy had something to do with it?" Dean turned to Punk, "If it says he was interviewed-"

"But he was let go because he was obviously out of the clear." Punk said.

"Doesn't mean he didn't know something." Dean shrugged.

"So then who would be his killers?" Punk asked.

"Well this girls family maybe. Out for revenge. Or maybe the people who actually killed that poor girl." Dean said.

"Ok, I'll look into her family. You read up more about the case." Punk said as Dean nodded.

* * *

"Ok, so your boyfriend was the one who first introduced you to drugs?" AJ asked, sitting across from Cami in the interviewing room, taking notes with her folders out.

"Yeah, he was. It wasn't too hard it first. I knew him from high school. He shared a place with his brother and I always went around. At first it was just weed, smoking stuff to get high, then it… began to get a little harder."

"Harder as in heroin and cocaine?" AJ asked her.

"Yeah." Cami nodded.

"Was he ever pushy towards you to take it? I'm gonna say he was anyway, but just for reference." AJ said.

"He was at the start. At first I didn't want to do it. Smoking the weed and getting high was always enough but he wanted to do other things so… I just gave in." Cami shrugged.

"Ok, good… well, not good, but we can use this for the case." AJ said.

"I really don't want him to get into trouble." Cami sighed.

"He's not gonna. Unless they go and search his house and find him with a ton of drugs, they won't do anything. Just because you say something doesn't mean they can arrest him on the spot." Cami reminded her, "And plus, after this trial, you're staying away from him, aren't you?" She narrowed her eyes at her as Cami nodded slowly.

"Yeah." Cami said.

"Ok, what about the fact your mom left when you were fifteen? What happened to you? Where did you stay?" AJ asked her.

"She left to go stay with a cousin out of town. She said things were too much for her. To be honest, she wasn't really around when she was here anyway. Phil always looked after me. Took me to school, helped me with homework, cooked us dinner and made sure I had good clothes on my back." Cami said, "Mom just floated in and out."

"So did you live with Phil when she left?" AJ asked.

"Off and on. I did at the beginning but he was working all different shifts on the force, so I barely saw him. That's when I started going out with people I shouldn't have. That's not on him though. I just took the chance whilst he was on night shift. He was so busy he didn't have time to babysit me and I don't blame him for that." Cami shook her head, "He still checked up on me. Once he saw I was hanging around with people I shouldn't have, he arrested them to scare them away from me but then I just started hanging out with Justin more until I wound up moving in with him. Phil was ok at first with it but then he realised he was a raging drug addict. He tried to get me out, gave me jobs, took me to rehab but… I never helped myself and I know that is the problem." Cami said.

"We can all lose our way." AJ nodded to her, "We all go through times in our life where we think it's not gonna get better and there's no light at the end of the tunnel, but there is, you just need to keep going to find it." She said. She normally didn't sympathize as much with her clients as she was with Cami. She thought her story was unfortunate and was also seeing a different side to Phil, a more worried and caring side which she liked to hear.

"If I get out of this, I'm just gonna end up back with Justin, though." Cami shook her head.

"No. I overheard your brother. He said he's gonna let you live with him, help you find a job, get you back on your feet and away from that boy." AJ nodded, "Now that will only work if you cooperate and do it for yourself." AJ said as Cami nodded, "Ok, the drugs part I can work around and talk a way out of… what about the prostitution, you need to tell me if there has ever been a time you did… sell yourself on a street corner, because I need to be prepared for anything." AJ nodded to her as Cami looked down.

"It was just once." Cami looked up, "I was… really desperate. He was rich and promised me a lot of money." She nodded, "Please don't tell Phil." She shook her head.

"I won't." AJ nodded, "It stays between me and you." She assured her, "When was this?"

"A few months ago." Cami said, "Justin was in debt so I thought it was the quickest solution." She said, "But no one saw me or knew anything about it. It was just the once."

"Ok." AJ said, "What about the other times, though?"

"I just take their money. Some pull up and they're so… desperate for anything." She shook her head, "I tell them I only get in the car with cash up front. Some of them don't buy it but some of them do. I take the money and then I just run." She said.

"Ok, well I can't use that in court. What I can say is this was your first time doing this. I can use Justin, tell them he forced you out onto the streets to get money for his drug debts, the same drugs he forced on you." AJ nodded, "And I can build the case around that."

"Sounds like you're putting all of it on him." Cami said worriedly.

"Yeah, honey. That's because I am." AJ nodded, "Stop defending him. He doesn't care about you. Has he even came to see you? Or called you? Anything could be happening to you right now and he doesn't care." AJ said as Cami just looked across at her and nodded slowly, "The quicker you realise that, the easier this is gonna be come the trial." She said as Cami nodded.

"Ok. I know." Cami said, "I am thankful to you for your help. Phil always bangs on about you, how good you are, I personally think he has a crush but… that's not my business." She put her hands up.

"Your brother? I'm pretty sure he has no feelings actually." AJ said as Cami smiled and nodded.

"Possibly." Cami said as AJ looked back at her notes. She didn't think Punk really shed a thought about her let alone complimented her working skills.

* * *

"How is she doing?" Punk asked, standing at reception watching as AJ walked down the corridor and over to him.

"Yeah, she's holding up ok." AJ nodded, "I'm building a strong case for her so hopefully it should go well." She said.

"Good." Punk sighed with relief, "Thank you."

"It's ok. It's people like Cami that made me want to be a defence attorney." AJ shrugged, "Whether you think I get bad people off or not, there's always two sides to a story. Everyone is human." She said, "And I heard you think I'm the best defence attorney around." She nudged him as Punk laughed a little.

"Oh, I just said that to settle Cami's nerves." Punk covered quickly with a smirk as AJ smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure you did." AJ laughed, "How is the case you're working on coming along? Still nothing?" She asked him, signing out at reception.

"No, nothing." Punk sighed, "We got him linked to a murder a few years back so we're looking into that but… no, it's like ghosts just walked into this place and killed him." Punk said.

"It can happen." AJ nodded, "You know… Cami thinks a lot of you. She told me that you were the one who took care of her for most of her life." She said, "Who would have thought?" AJ said to him with a smile.

"She's my little sister." Punk shrugged, "And we didn't have parents. No dad and… well, no mom either." He said as AJ nodded.

"I get the feeling." She nodded to him as he just smiled, both of them staring at each other for an awkward few minutes. Neither could deny the obvious attraction towards each other that they felt. AJ thought he was stunning, and couldn't really believe he didn't have a girlfriend or a wife. And Punk felt the exact same about her.

"You should probably get home then if you want to beat traffic." Punk nodded to her as she looked away and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be back to talk to her running up to the trial." AJ said as Punk just nodded and smiled, watching her walk out, his eyes following her all the way until she disappeared. His eyes didn't follow any women the way they followed her.


	11. Familiar Face

**Familiar Face**

* * *

"Anything on the case?" Punk asked, sitting down next to Dean a few days later.

"No." Dean shook his head, "I looked into the case with the girl. They never found the guys who killed her. No one was ever arrested for it. It went cold." Dean said.

"Yeah and I tried to locate the girls family but I couldn't. It's like it was swept under the rug." He shook his head.

"This is the only thing I could see leading us somewhere. Say Greg saw something or knew something about the murder. Either the girls family is out seeking revenge or the killers are killing him off to keep him quiet." Dean suggested, "Other than that, I have no idea how this guy was killed." He said with frustration as Punk nodded.

"I'm gonna keep trying to find her family. If we can talk to them we could maybe get a better idea of who was involved and if they knew Greg." Punk said as Dean nodded. Punk then looked over to Dean's computer, noticing the picture of the girl and tilting his head a little, "That's her?" He asked.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"I… I've saw her face somewhere." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Well she died a lot of years ago so… I doubt that." Dean shook his head.

"No, I swear. I've saw her face… I-I don't know where." Punk shook his head.

"Maybe in the paper or something?" Dean shrugged.

"Maybe." Punk nodded, it beginning to annoy him. He could remember seeing her face somewhere but he couldn't think of where it was or where he was, "Ok, keep looking into the case. I'm gonna try locate her family. Maybe they moved away after she died or something." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe." Dean said, "It's annoying me, this case. I couldn't sleep last night and it was the one night that Eva had slept right through." He rolled his eyes as Punk smiled a little, "Lia was talking about going on a mini vacation, just the two of us, once we get this cleared up, if… we get this cleared up." He nodded.

"Yeah, man you look exhausted." Punk said, "I couldn't imagine doing this and then going home to a kid." He said, "I'm tired enough on my own." He said as Dean nodded, "You should put in for a holiday for a few days and get away."

"Yeah, I might." Dean nodded, "God knows I need it." He said.

* * *

"Ok, so I got my hands on some files." AJ said, sitting across from Cami, "You've been on three rehab programs since the age of eighteen, yeah?"

"Yeah." Cami said.

"Ok, so… I assume you just stopped going-"

"Well no, two of them let me go after 2 sessions, they said I was fine." Cami said, "And the other one I didn't have enough money for it-"

"That's good. We can use all of that." AJ nodded happily, "I can come for the rehab programs which the judge panics over when he realises how damn broken the state is when it comes to rehabilitation." AJ said, "This is good. We're building a strong case here." AJ smiled to her as Cami nodded and smiled.

"No one has ever… helped me this much. Besides from my brother. Although I think I've chucked it back in his face almost every time he's tried to help." She admitted shamefully.

"It's easy to push people away." AJ nodded, "Especially those who care about us." She said, speaking from experience, "Once this trial is over and hopefully you just get a few month's probation, you gotta get better for you. It's not for anyone else. It's your life. You're so young to waste it." She said.

"Phil said he would let me stay with him for as long as I need and help me get a job… just somewhere local, nothing too overwhelming." She nodded.

"That's a good place to start." AJ smiled.

"You're a lot nicer than he makes out." Cami laughed a little.

"He says I'm not nice?" AJ smiled.

"He just says you're pretty serious. He warned me… not to make jokes." She mumbled as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Phil has his own perceptions of people, doesn't he?" AJ said, "But he has good intentions. Cares about you and your safety." She nodded. She knew that much.

"Yeah, I know." Cami said, "I'm nervous about going to court."

"You'll be fine. Technically you don't have much to do besides testify. I take care of the rest." She nodded, "You'll be well prepared for it, don't worry." She nodded as Cami just smiled. AJ made her feel safe and at ease. She'd never had that from a woman before. It was nice.

* * *

"Ian… what do you know about this case?" Punk asked, knocking on Ian's office door, walking in with Dean as he looked up from his computer, taking the folder from Punk and opening it up, "Were you here when it happened?" He asked. He knew Ian was older, so there was a chance he was.

"Yeah, I'd not long been transferred here." Ian nodded, "Was a tough one." He groaned a little as he remembered it all, flicking through the folder, "Why have you brought this to me?"

"Well when we searching up if our guy, Greg, had any run ins with the cops, any criminal record or anything, all we found was that he was interviewed in regards to this case." Punk said, "And we noticed the case went cold so… we're wondering if there's maybe a link."

"Oh, I don't know." Ian shook his head, unsure, "This was a long, long time ago." He said.

"Not that long when you think about it." Dean said, "We thought maybe it could be the girl's family seeking revenge, or it might very well be the guys who killed her, maybe they found out Greg knew something and took him out of the picture." Dean said, "It would explain why everything seems so… out of the blue."

"Maybe you're both reaching a little." Ian suggested, "This case went cold because the guys who… murdered this poor girl all split-"

"Did you ever find out who they even were, though?" Punk asked.

"No. No one did. They disappeared." Ian said, "So why would they come out of the shadows now? Or why would this poor girls parents want to keep reliving what happened to their daughter?"

"We can't even find her parents or her family." Punk said, "I tried to locate them but-"

"They moved to Puerto Rico a year or so after she died." Ian told them, "They've been there ever since as far as I know. They wanted to get away." She said, "I think maybe this case has nothing to do with this murder. I mean you said this guy was pretty much a loner, no family, just a few work friends, kept himself to himself… why would he correlate to all the madness that happened with this case." He held the folder in his hand.

"So you think we're just desperate?" Dean asked.

"Desperate for answers, yeah." Ian said, "I get it. You want to make sense of it. I know the frustration, but there's other things to cover. I don't think your answers are in here." He told them, extending the folder back to Punk who just nodded.

"Ok. If you think so." Punk took the folder back.

"Hey, this job can be unpredictable, you know that." Ian said, "But I think we should cover other bases before we start digging into this." He said as Punk and Dean just nodded and left the office.

"He thinks we're reaching the son of a bitch." Punk shook his head, sitting the folder down at his desk.

"We might be." Dean said, "It does seem larger than life for it to be connected."

"It's the only thing that makes some sense, though." Punk said, "I wanna know his involvement, who interviewed him, why he was interviewed, did he know the girl? I don't care what he says in there." He waved his hand.

"Yeah, ok." Dean said.

"I'm going for a coffee, you want something?" Punk asked.

"No, I'm good." Dean said, sitting down on the chair at the desk as Punk nodded and made his way down the row of desks and out from the back into the reception.

"Oh, Phil." Joan noticed as Punk turned around.

"What's up?" Punk asked, walking over to the desk.

"April left these notes earlier from meeting with your sister. I'd drop them off to her myself but I'm not sure where she stays." Joan said, "Do you?"

"Uh… yeah, yeah I can drop them off on my way home." Punk nodded to her, taking the notes from the desk to go put in his car so he'd remember.

* * *

Punk and Dean eventually finished up late at the station and Punk headed home, first making a stop at AJ's place to drop the notes she'd left in.

He knocked on the door, not waiting too long before she came to the door in some sweats and a tank top. He'd always thought she was naturally beautiful from the minute he saw her. He got to know her personality and that began to take over and irritate him more, but he couldn't deny she was courageous, successful and still very beautiful, and he couldn't thank her enough for helping his sister.

"Hey." AJ said with confusion.

"Hey, you left these." Punk extended the pieces of paper.

"Oh, shit. I didn't even realise." She shook her head, taking the notes, "You didn't have to drop them off I would have realised and picked them up." AJ said.

"Just in case you needed them for working. I… I know you do a lot of work at home sometimes." He said as she just nodded.

"Well thank you." AJ smiled, "Uh… come in a second, I wanna run something by you." She said as Punk looked at her wearily, "This isn't the devil's layer. Get in." She rolled her eyes as he stepped into her house, closing the door behind him and following her into the living room.

"What is it?" Punk asked her.

"Well I was looking up rehabilitation facilities for people with substance abuse problems." AJ said, "I found this place." She said, picking up the information papers she'd printed off, "It's for younger people, it's about two hours away." She said as he took the papers from her, "I think it would be good for Cami." She nodded, "It… It could get her away from here for a little while."

"You don't think I've tried to do this?" Punk asked her as she looked up at him.

"I know you have but the rehab she's went to before is just sessions. This is like a… like a hotel if you like." She said, "She'll stay there, she'll meet people who can help her." AJ said, "It's supposed to be really good for people with problems." AJ nodded.

"She won't go." Punk shook his head, "She won't wanna go away and stay somewhere."

"But what if she knew it would help her? And it'd get her out of this place?" AJ wondered.

"I don't think these places do much. I mean… they just take the states money and don't do anything for people-"

"I was there." AJ said as Punk looked across at her, "I spent two months in it when I was nineteen." She nodded as Punk raised a brow.

"I… didn't know you-" He shook his head, not having expected her to be an addict of any kind, but he supposed that wrong of him to just assume anything about her. He didn't know her.

"I'm not… I wasn't an addict." AJ said, "The facility has a section for mentally ill." AJ told him as Punk looked at her, "I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I was sent there." She said, "It helped me. I didn't think it would, just like everyone else thinks, but it did help me." She said as Punk nodded. It was here he was reminded that he really didn't know this woman at all. He never would have guessed she dealt with something like that on a day-to-day basis, and wondered where she got her strength from.

"Thank you for… looking into this." Punk nodded. He'd never saw this caring and sweet side to her. He liked it. It suited her.

"I didn't really look into it. I know all about it." AJ nodded, "It could be good for her. I know it's her who has to make the decision but I thought if you supported it, maybe she would agree." AJ said, "It makes a difference."

"I'll definitely talk to her about it." Punk said.

"Ok." AJ said, "And don't… go shouting it around that I'm fucked in the head. I know how much you would love to but… it wouldn't help my cause at the moment."

"Don't say like that." Punk shook his head, "We all deal with our problems. Yours are… none of my business." He said as she just nodded. She didn't plan to tell him, but she wanted to help his sister, for what reason she couldn't figure out yet, was it that she saw herself in his sister? Hopeless, young and in need of help? She didn't know, but she didn't intend for anyone to know about her illness, but telling him didn't seem like as big a deal as she thought it would.

"Just talk to her about it. I think the best thing for her is to actually get out of this place for a while." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." Punk said, "Well thank you." He nodded, turning around to walk out, pausing when he looked on at the frame that he noticed a while back, the picture of the girl he asked her about, if she was her sister, suddenly remembering why that murdered girls face looked so familiar, because he had saw it here…

"What?" AJ shook her head, wondering why he'd froze, watching as he walked over and picked the frame up, turning around to her.

"How the hell did you know her?"


	12. Making Some Sense

**Making Some Sense**

* * *

"She was my friend. Give me that." AJ said defensively, taking the frame from him quickly and caressing it a little before sitting it back down on the window ledge as Punk watched her, "Why do you care?" She shook her head.

"She… popped up on a case I'm working on." Punk shook his head.

"Popped up?" AJ said.

"Yeah." Punk said, "The guy who died a few weeks ago in his apartment. He was questioned to do with her murder." He said, "We're just… trying to make sense of it all."

"You think he had something to do with it?" AJ asked.

"No. Well I don't know." Punk said, "It's the only thing we can tie him to unless he's got unlucky and someone just wanted to murder him." He said, "I don't know so much." He shook his head, "I knew I'd saw her face before." He nodded, "Hey, maybe you could tell me a little bit more about the case?"

"Or maybe you should leave it alone and don't pick at old wounds." She told him, "The people who killed her were… bad people, and they ran off. So that man who was killed… He probably has nothing to do with it." AJ said, "So just leave it alone. Leave her alone." She said angrily as Punk looked over at her.

"You were close?" Punk wondered.

"Yes." AJ said. He could tell he'd touched on a nerve and that it was a touchy subject for her, which told him she was obviously very close to the girl, "Do you know what they did to her?" AJ asked him as Punk nodded.

"I… read the reports." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Scary to think people can do that out there. People can hurt other people like that. Take their life away." AJ said.

"You meet in high school?" He asked, trying not to sound too pushy. In a whole hour he'd learned more about her than he had the past few years he'd known her. He liked the real and honest version of her. It was a side he'd never saw.

"Yeah. I moved over here with my family when I was 13. I met her at school. We had similar backgrounds. We both came from Puerto Rico. We just got on." AJ smiled, "She became like a sister to me." She said as Punk nodded, "When she died her family moved back to Puerto Rico. Mine went too with my brother a little while after. I stayed." She said, "Once I got over the whole… finding out I was bipolar thing, went to law school and refused to make any friends." She shrugged as Punk looked across at her.

"You can't… stop yourself from having friendships because of it." Punk said.

"It's much easier." AJ nodded, "Trust me, I don't think your case has anything to do with Sofia." She said.

"We still need to look into it." Punk said, "If you wanna talk about it… I am here. I know I'm probably one of the last people you'd wanna talk to about something like that but… I can listen." He nodded as she looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Thank you but… I don't need to talk about it." AJ nodded, "Her case was brushed under the rug. Another minority crime that no one gave a shit about." She said, "They dropped it after a few months of not finding anything. They didn't even look for her killers."

"Maybe they just couldn't find a lead. It can happen." Punk said, "What if this guy had something to do with it?" He asked, "Don't tell me it could be impossible."

"It might not be impossible but the chances of it are… unlikely." AJ said, "It happened a long time ago." She reminded him.

"I know but things can come back to bite us in the ass." Punk said, "Were you ever asked about it at the time?" He asked her.

"I was asked a few questions but I don't think it was ever logged in." AJ shook her head, "I was supposed to be going out with her the night she was killed." She said, "Maybe that's why they asked me some stuff." She shrugged as Punk nodded, "Look, I don't wanna talk about it." She shook her head rapidly.

Punk could see she was getting annoyed and clearly this was a tough subject for her. He never thought she had a vulnerable side and for some reason he just wanted to let her know it was ok.

"Ok. I'm… sorry." Punk said, "About her, about bringing it up." He said.

"It's fine." AJ nodded, "I just think it should be left alone. She's owed that." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"Well I'm here if… you need to talk." He said as she looked at him and smiled. She knew he didn't have to say that, and it was nice for them to be serious for once instead of stepping on each other's toes.

"Thanks." AJ said, "Remember to… let your sister know about the facility. I think it's worth her while." She said, walking him to the front door as Punk nodded with the papers in his hand.

"I definitely will." He nodded, "Uh… goodnight then." He said as AJ nodded.

"Goodnight." AJ smiled, watching as he walked off to his car and drove away, closing the front door and quickly rushing into the kitchen to grab her phone, taking out her purse and dialling her brother's number.

"Dominic? Yeah, we… have a problem." AJ nodded, placing her hand on her forehead.

* * *

"It was her best friend?" Dean shook his head, sitting in his living room couch with Punk. It was convenient they both had the same day off and Dean invited Punk around to watch some hockey. He was on dad duty for the day whilst Lia was out with his friends.

"Yeah. Well she actually said they were like sisters." Punk said, filling Dean in on the connection AJ had with the case, "She was adamant that it wasn't anything to do with the case." He said.

"How would she know that?" Dean asked.

"I don't know I think she just wanted me to stop talking about it. It hit a nerve with her. I've never saw her that way." He admitted truthfully.

"Here I thought she didn't have feelings." Dean said.

"No, she was definitely upset." Punk nodded, "Maybe it is ridiculous that it's connected to that case. I mean the guy was only interviewed over it. It wasn't like he was a potential suspect or anything. He was just questioned on some things."

"Questioned on what, though?" Dean shrugged, "We need to find out the officer who interviewed him and talk to him if we can." Dean said, "I just want to completely rule it out." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Punk agreed, "I just… can't stop thinking about AJ." He admitted truthfully as Dean turned to him, "Not like that." He made clear, even though he wasn't sure if he wasn't thinking about her like that.

"We all lose people." Dean said.

"I know but in that way. The poor girl was… brutally killed, raped… beaten." Punk sighed, "She said that's why she doesn't make friends anymore."

"Well she can't live that way." Dean said, "When is your sister's trial?"

"In a few days." Punk said.

"You think she'll get her off?" Dean asked.

"I hope so." Punk nodded, "She seems confident that she's got a strong case so I'm not particularly worried. I'm more worried about… what Cami will do when she gets out." He said, "AJ gave me this leaflet on a rehab facility out of town. If I could convince Cami to go it could be the best thing for her."

"She really does have a heart." Dean raised his eyebrows as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, she didn't have to do that." Punk nodded, "So I'll talk with Cami after the trial, try and convince her to even look into it. AJ is right. She needs out of this place." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I agree. Fresh start for her." Dean said, "When we go into the station tomorrow we can start by looking for the copper who interviewed Greg. Ask him about it and see where it takes us." He said.

"Could all just be a coincidence, though." Punk said, "Maybe it's nothing to do with that case and it's just some guys Greg crossed." He said.

"It seems so personal, though." Dean said, running his hand through his hair, "I hate this job sometimes." He sighed as Punk nodded in agreement, "Did you ask AJ if she knew anything that would help us make sense of anything else?"

"I did but she didn't have anything. She said she was asked a few questions but only because Sofia was supposed to be meeting her the night she was killed. To be honest I didn't want to ask anymore, she just didn't wanna talk about it." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"Fair enough." Dean nodded, listening over as he heard crying on the baby monitor, "Why does she literally hate me?"

"Do you want me to get her?" Punk asked him, feeling bad as Dean had already attended to the baby girl four or five times.

"If you can face it." Dean said as Punk just nodded and headed upstairs, walking into the nursery where the baby was crying loudly.

"Hey, why are you always crying?" Punk asked, "Huh? We're trying to watch the hockey downstairs." He said, talking to her like she was the same age as him. He had experience with a baby. He was older when his little sister was born and took more care of her than his mom ever did.

"Ok, here we go." Punk said in a soft voice, picking her up into his arms as the six month old stared at him, pausing her crying as she enjoyed the change in face, "Can you please be quiet for us now? There's no need to ever cry that much. You're a baby. What the hell are you crying over?" He asked her as she collapsed her head on his shoulder, "You just wanted a hug?" Punk smiled to himself as she rested her head into the curve of his neck, "Ok, you're kinda cute." He smiled to himself.

* * *

"I didn't have the money to spend on a flight here, April." Dominic said, walking into AJ's house a night later as she let him in, "Should I be worried?"

"No… no, it's nothing to worry about, there's just this homicide that happened a few weeks ago. A guy stabbed in his apartment. No leads yet but the guy who was murdered was interviewed about Sofia and what happened to her." AJ said, standing in the living room with him, "What if they start digging back into that case… I know the two guys, they're smart-"

"They'll never figure it out." Dominic said, "What are they gonna find? Nothing." Dominic said.

"We know what happened, though." AJ said, "And we never said anything-"

"The cops know what happened. We didn't have to say anything. We're not withholding information. Yes, we know the structure of what happened, but we don't have names and faces which is what they're interested in. We're not in the shit here." He said, "You should know that, you're a damn lawyer."

"Dominic, I… I done digging. That man was found stabbed in his apartment the same night you showed up on my door step." AJ said, "If you have something you want to get off your chest, now would be a good time to do it."

"You think I killed him? I don't know who he is." Dominic said.

"Yeah, you do. I can see it in your eyes." AJ said, "Do you know who killed him? Did you… kill him?"

"I'm not a killer, April." Dominic hissed.

"Then tell me what the hell is going on and why all of this is starting to come back?" AJ asked.

"Because those stupid cops can't keep their nose out of things." Dominic shook his head angrily.

"It's their jobs." AJ defended, "What does this Greg guy have to do with Sofia? I have to be prepared." She said.

"Ok, sit down." Dominic ran his hand over his face.

"I'll stand." AJ folded her arms.

"I didn't kill him. I know who did." Dominic nodded, "Sofia's brother, couple of his friends." He said, "That's why I was in Chicago that night. I heard about what they were planning back in Puerto Rico, so I thought I could take a flight out and try and stop him but… it was too late, so that's when I came here, to make sure you were ok." He said.

"Why would he murder this man? Was he in on the killing? Was he one of the guys?" AJ asked.

"He wasn't one of the guys who killed Sofia, no." Dominic said, "You know her family have tried to make sense of the whole thing ever since she died. They've been their own cops and detectives since the real ones didn't do anything to help them." He said, "Greg was a witness. He saw Sofia being dragged into the back of a car by three or four guys. When he was called into question after being spotted on some footage, he said he didn't see anything. Her brother got word of it not too long ago and I don't blame him for acting out. If it was you, and I knew someone saw you, someone could have prevented what happened… I'd feel the same way." Dominic said.

"So he's gone back to Puerto Rico now?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah. I mean you know how broken her family is." Dominic said, "Any sort of new information come to light they jumped at." He said.

"Have they found anything about the killers? Any names or faces?" AJ asked.

"No nothing." Dominic said, "I mean they know who it was, those group of guys, no names though. They know it was supposed to be you and not Sofia after my run in with them but… they don't have names, if they did… I don't think they'd be alive." Dominic said.

"So what do I do with these cops looking into it? They're gonna find the connection." AJ said worriedly.

"No, they won't. Not unless you tell them." Dominic said, "Which… you won't." Dominic told her as she just nodded, "There's no trace of Sofia's brother there and they'll never catch on to it. Just act oblivious to it if it's brought up." He said as AJ just nodded and rubbed her forehead with stress.

"I'll… pay for your flight home. I… I guess we could have had this conversation on the phone." AJ admitted, "I just panicked."

"It's ok. I did too." Dominic said, "Cops sniffing around is never good for anyone but… you know how to deal with it and they're not gonna find anything useful."

"Maybe if they opened the case again, though… they could find her killers. The cops are better than they were back then-"

"Don't stand and defend them to me." Dominic warned her, "They brush people like us under the rug. We don't matter." He said as AJ just folded her arms, "Keep them sweet and they won't find a thing."

"Technically we are withholding information now." AJ said, "We know who killed that man."

"No one is gonna know that." Dominic said.

"This is how all of this started." AJ threw her hands up, "This is how Sofia is dead. You and her brother getting involved with people you shouldn't have." AJ said, "What if it was me? That would have been on you-"

"Well it wasn't." Dominic said.

"No, but it was Sofia, and she didn't deserve any of that." AJ spat, "And this is what's left to show for it. Her brother acting like an animal, you covering for him."

"April, it's not a big deal." Dominic said calmly, "The cops aren't gonna find shit." He said as AJ sighed, "I'll get my flight tomorrow morning if you want-"

"Actually I'd rather you just go and get the next one out." AJ nodded. She loved her brother, but sometimes his choices were what affected everyone.

"Ok." Dominic put his hands up.

"I'll book you on a flight just now." AJ told him, walking off into the kitchen as Dominic sighed, running his hand over his face as he looked over at the picture of Sofia, sighing to himself.


	13. Trial

**Trial**

* * *

"Your honour, if I could show you these records from my clients time in rehab the first two times she was admitted." AJ said, standing up from the desk and handing out the judge and the prosecutor the records to look at, "My client completed only two sessions the first time she was ever admitted to rehab and that was because it was so overcrowded that they had to let her go." AJ said, "How does anyone expect my client to have had a fair chance at getting better when the facilities she needs to get better are so corrupt they can no longer do their job anymore?" AJ asked as the judge straightened up a little.

Meanwhile Punk stood at the back of the court, having come on his lunch break to see how things were going.

"I would also like to make clear that my client has never been caught dealing drugs and has never picked up a criminal record. Sending her to prison now would be the complete wrong thing to do. Statistics show that prisoners with drug related offences only come out worse."

"I am the judge who decides who goes to prison, Miss Mendez." The judge said as AJ glared at him.

"Your honour…" Dana stood up, "These records of Miss Brooks' time in rehab centres doesn't explain the fact she was waving down cars at 1.20am on a Friday night on a street corner, selling herself for money to fund her drug habits." She said.

"Your honour that is the first and the last time my client has done something like that. Pressures from her boyfriend got in her head and she felt like she didn't have the choice. It's hard to believe that I know but I don't think any girl is standing on a street corner just because she enjoys it." AJ spat, "There's desperation there and even more indication that this girl needs help, not prison." She said.

"Ok, settle down." The judge nodded, "Miss King, who is your first witness?" He asked as AJ sat back down beside Cami, turning back and noticing Punk at the back of the door, giving her a simple nod as she turned back to the judge.

"First witness is a Mr Paul Smith." Dana stood up as Cami widened her eyes.

"Oh my God." Cami whispered as AJ turned to her.

"What?" AJ said as Cami slid further down her chair and shook her head as AJ looked over at Dana standing in front of the man. He was older and looked like some form of business man.

"Mr Smith when did you first encounter Miss Brooks?" Dana asked.

"July last year." Paul nodded.

"Is it true that you picked her up on a street corner after she proposed sexual intercourse in exchange for money?" Dana asked as the man nodded.

Meanwhile AJ was gripping her pen tightly, unsure of where she could actually take this next.

"Where did you take her?" Dana asked.

"Back to my hotel. I was on a business trip." He said.

"How much money did she ask from you?" Dana asked.

"One hundred dollars." He said.

"And you gave her it?" Dana asked.

"In the morning, yes." Paul said.

"Did you see her again after that?" Dana asked him.

"No. That was it." Paul said as Dana nodded.

"So… clearly Miss Brooks is familiar with the street corner scene, your honour. She's just not been caught yet." Dana nodded, "No further questions." She said, smirking over to AJ and taking her seat as AJ looked at her notes, groaning to herself as she had no idea where she was taking things.

"Miss Mendez, your cross." The judge waited, unimpressed clearly.

AJ stood up and walked over to the stand, looking across at the man, "Did you ask what age my client was before asking her to get in your car?" AJ asked him.

"No." Paul said.

"So this girl could have been underage and you didn't care to make sure she wasn't?" AJ said.

"She didn't look it." Paul said as AJ just nodded to herself.

"Did you question what my client needed one hundred dollars for?" AJ asked him.

"No. I assumed drugs." Paul nodded.

"Oh, you assumed?" AJ smiled and nodded, "When you took my client to your hotel did she give you full consent?"

"Really?" Paul laughed a little.

"Answer the question." AJ narrowed her brows.

"Uh… maybe, yeah I'm sure she did. Yes." Paul said.

"My client never vocally said yes to any sort of sexual encounter that night. She was scared and alone and felt her only way to gain money was by doing this." AJ said, "If you were a decent enough man you would have just asked her if she was ok, maybe give her twenty bucks for a motel room, but you, sir, took advantage of a young girl who didn't know what she was doing." AJ made clear.

"She's badgering the witness." Dana stood up.

"Miss Mendez, calm down." The judge made clear.

"I'm sorry, your honour." AJ put her hands up, "But my client here is the outcome of our broken rehabilitation programs and she does not deserve to do time for failures of the state." She shook her head, "No further questions." She said, walking back to her desk, noticing Punk had left the court room, sighing to herself and sitting down.

"Ok. I need time to… reassess things before I give my answer." The judge nodded, "Back in fifteen minutes for the verdict." He said, slamming his hammer down and walking off as AJ turned to Cami.

"I'm going to prison, aren't I?" Cami shook her head.

"No, it's ok." AJ sighed, rubbing her arm softly, "He has to make a decision on everything. I could see he was annoyed I kept poking at the rehab programs. He knows if he puts you in prison I'll go on record about it so don't worry, we're still in with a chance." AJ assured her, giving her a hug as Cami watched.

"Why would he come in and testify to that?" Cami shook her head as she watched Paul leave the court room.

"Because he looks like he has lots of money to get out of any scuffle he might get in." AJ said, "Come on. Let's get you a coffee or something before the verdict." She said, walking down the court room and out of the large doors, walking in opposite direction away from everyone to get some air and space.

* * *

Meanwhile Punk was outside the court house on the phone to Dean.

"No, it's not going well. She fucking lied to me." Punk shook his head, walking up and down the small part of the pavement.

"Judge has to cover all bases remember. Keep the faith." Dean said, "Hey, I actually was calling to let you know that I looked into the copper who interviewed Greg to do with Sofia's case."

"And?" Punk said.

"Well he's dead. He died last year of a heart attack." Dean said.

"Fucking great." Punk shook his head.

"But I've called the detective who took charge of the case, I'm gonna sit down with him later and talk to him about things, I'm just not happy with how little they found on it, it's like no one was trying."

"Policing was a lot different back then." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess." Dean said, "How has AJ been?"

"On fire." Punk nodded, "The judge looks scared of her every time she brings up rehab failing." He said as Dean laughed a little.

"Well at least you can appreciate her a little better this time if she gets Cami off." Dean said.

"If she gets Cami off, Cami is going straight to that fucking facility. I'm driving her there tonight kicking and screaming if I have to." Punk shook his head, "She needs out of this place."

"I think it's the right call for her. She'll thank you for it later." Dean said.

"Yeah, hopefully." Punk nodded.

"I'll let you go then. Tell me how it goes. I'm gonna prepare myself for asking this detective some stuff. Ian thinks we're going crazy with this."

"Ian can shut the fuck up." Punk rolled his eyes.

"Yeah." Dean said, "Right, I'll talk to you later." He said as Punk nodded and hung up on the phone, putting it back in his pocket and walking back into the courthouse, spotting AJ standing over with Cami by the coffee machine.

He walked over to them. He was disappointed his sister hadn't just told him the truth. It hurt him to know she really had been put in a position where she desperately needed the money.

"You ok?" Punk asked her as Cami nodded.

"I think he might send me to prison." Cami admitted as Punk turned to AJ who was drinking her coffee like a shot.

"Don't think that way." AJ told her, throwing her cup in the trash can beside the machine, "I tried to make it look like that dick was at fault for taking advantage of you. Which he was."

"It was very clear that I was ok with having sex with him, though." Cami said.

"Well no one needs to know that." AJ said, "Where did you go?" She turned to Punk whilst Cami got herself a coffee from the machine.

"I was just calling Dean. We're still looking into Sofia's case, see if we can find a link with Greg but… it's slow at the moment. Dean is talking to the detective who took over the case."

"Why would there be a link? They're too completely different crimes at very different times." AJ said.

"Well the guy has no family, no ill will towards anyone, nothing suspicious going on around him. It's like someone just showed up out of the blue to kill him, and I could only link that with Sofia's killers or maybe her family."

"I doubt it." AJ shrugged, "Doesn't seem fitting."

"What makes you so sure?" Punk asked her with confusion.

"Well I'm not but… it just seems like there's no correlation." AJ said, "And plus, bringing up her case isn't fun for me and I'm sure it won't be for her family, who live in Puerto Rico, so the fact you think it has anything to do with them is out of the question." She said, realising she was talking too much.

"We just gotta cover all grounds." Punk said, "I know it's obviously a hard subject for you, you probably just want things to be left alone, I can understand that, but I still have a job to do." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know that." AJ smiled, "It's just hard hearing it all again after so long. Even hearing her name so much. It's hard."

"I get it." Punk nodded, "You're probably right, there's probably no connection but we still gotta look at it. It feels like Sofia's case was just neglected after a certain point. I'd love to catch the bastards who did it-"

"You and me both." AJ mumbled to herself.

* * *

They eventually made their way back into court for the judge's decision. Cami was nervous as was AJ, but she was pleased with how she'd put the case across, even if there were other things they had to be worried about.

"After a think about the argument that the rehabilitation facilities in the state are failing, particularly the local ones in clinics and such, I agree with Miss Mendez that it is unfair to point the finger to addicts when they aren't being treated properly." The judge nodded, "However, I can't dismiss the act of prostitution in correlation with that." He said, thinking to himself, "I have considered Miss Brooks' age and that other factors may come to play in the decisions she has made, and I hope that she will learn from them and get better help for her problems." She said, "I'm sentencing Miss Camila Brooks to six month's probation with a year's rehabilitation program. Rehabilitation can be discussed with the councillor. Court adjourned." He nodded as AJ stood up and smiled, wrapping her arms around Cami who took a deep breath and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much." Cami said with relief, tears filling in her eyes at the relief of not having to do any time in prison. She knew it could have been a different outcome if she didn't have a fierce lawyer like AJ by her side to push buttons and say the right things.

"It's ok." AJ smiled, genuinely happy not just for herself for winning the case but for Cami to get another chance, hopefully a better one this time.

She looked over to Punk standing whilst she hugged Cami, seeing him smiling, which made her also smile.

* * *

"Ok, I'll take you home." Punk said, hugging his sister, getting out of court and into the car park as Cami nodded and got into the car, closing the door as Punk turned to AJ.

"You're not taking her home, are you?" AJ asked him, noticing the bags in the bag seat.

"No." Punk shook his head, "I talked to the councillor whilst she was off signing some things, they're letting her carry out her probation at the facility you suggested and her rehab program."

"It's a good place." AJ nodded, "She'll get the help she needs. Better than anywhere else." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"Thank you." Punk said, "For all of this. Dare I say any other lawyer would have been able to convince the judge out of a prison sentence." He said, "You have a talent." He said as AJ just smiled. She liked the nice side of him, it made him more attractive and she found herself smiling up at him for longer.

"It's ok." AJ said, "I just hope she gets the help she deserves and she can get better from this." She nodded, "She's too young to ruin her life."

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "I should get going. I do owe you." He said as she just smiled.

"No, you don't." AJ smiled, "I'm happy I could help." She said as Punk just nodded. She was so beautiful when she smiled. He wished she done it more.

"I'll see you around." Punk said as AJ nodded, watching him get in the car and drive off whilst she got in her own car to drive home, still thinking about his smile and how his kind and soft side made her feel things, feelings, feelings that scared her a little.


	14. Just Some Flowers

**Just Some Flowers**

* * *

"How did it go?" Dean asked the next day as Punk sat down at the desk beside him.

"Better than I thought." Punk said, "She was sort of quiet for most of the journey once I told her where we were going." He said, "Gave me a hug before she went in, told me she'd call me. I think she realised she needed to go." He said.

"Good." Dean nodded, "Good, now she can get a fresh start. A real fresh start." Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "I wanna give AJ something. I'm not sure if she drinks, and I don't wanna be cringe and get her flowers." He said, "But I really appreciate what she did. She didn't have to. Especially with all the slack we always give her." Punk said.

"Give her a voucher for cracker barrel." Dean said.

"Do they even do vouchers?" Punk laughed, "I might just get her flowers." He said, "Hand them in later."

"Can't you just say thanks? I mean I know she helped you out but… what's the need to get her something?" Dean asked, "Did you get a boner when she was going off on the judge?" He laughed.

"No." Punk scoffed, "I also feel kinda bad that we're digging into this girl's case. It looks like it's upsetting her and I feel bad."

"Well tough shit. It's our job." Dean said.

"Don't be insensitive." Punk said, "I'm just trying to be nice for once." He said.

"Well it doesn't suit you." Dean told him, "Anyway, don't you want to hear what the detective said? The one that I spoke to on behalf of the case?"

"Go on." Punk nodded.

"So he told me they know it was a local group of guys. They acted like loan sharks at the time but… they caused a lot of bother." Dean said, "They believed that Sofia's parents got involved with them, got themselves in a mess and they targeted Sofia after it." Dean said, "The group of guys cleared out. The parents gave one name, the guy who they'd been dealing with, but they didn't know anyone else from the group." He said.

"I'm starting to think maybe we are reaching." Punk said, "I mean, Sofia's parents, her family, they moved back to Puerto Rico after she was killed, after her case went cold, so that would rule out them coming back just to randomly kill Greg, right?"

"Maybe." Dean nodded, "So it could be her killers. Maybe they're afraid he'll speak up. Clearly he saw something that night and didn't say anything." He said.

"Yeah." Punk said, "I don't know. I don't think they have anything to do with each other." He admitted.

"Why because AJ said?" Dean took a dig.

"No because they just don't match up. Not really." Punk said, "What happened to the guy her parents gave a name for?"

"He was arrested for other things but not for her murder. He wasn't there and he wouldn't give names or faces of his guys up. He's facing a life sentence." Dean said, "I think we should go speak to him."

"If she was… beaten and raped… wouldn't there be a ton of evidence to go on from?" Punk asked him.

"Not an ounce of it. They must have been careful." Dean shook his head.

"Where was she found again?" Punk asked, looking over into the folder.

"In a motel room." Dean said, "Whoever booked the room used a fake name. No one saw anything."

"That's just bullshit. How can a girl be taken like that by three or four guys and no one sees a damn thing?"

"Maybe Greg did." Dean said, "That's my point." He said as Punk just groaned.

"Ok, let's try and get in to speak to this prick in prison, see if we can get names out of him." Punk nodded.

* * *

Later that night after their shift, doing some more digging, Punk had drove home, stopping by at the flower shop to grab a punch for AJ. He wasn't normally nice to people, but he did appreciate what she done for his sister and he just wanted to thank her a little more personally.

He got out of his car and headed to her door, knocking on it as she eventually came out, opening it up and standing with confusion as she looked at the flowers.

"Do you have the wrong door?" AJ wondered as Punk just nodded.

"Very funny." He said, "These are for you." He nodded, "I… I am really thankful to you for what you done for Cami. You very easily could have told me no given the slack I always give you, but you didn't. So… thank you." He said, extending the flowers to her as she took them.

"Come in." AJ nodded, stepping aside as he walked into her house. She smiled at the flowers, "Gerberas are my favourite." She smiled, walking into the living room after him.

"I-I don't know names. They just looked the nicest." He shrugged as AJ smiled and nodded.

"I'm gonna put them in water." AJ told him, "How did it go with taking Cami to the facility?" She asked him, walking on into the kitchen as he followed.

"She took it better than I thought. Stayed kinda quiet. But I think she knew it was the best thing for her. Especially to get away from this place." Punk said as AJ nodded, getting a vase out and filling it up with water.

"It's a good facility. It's not intimidating. You don't feel like you're in rehab or you're being watched." AJ said, "That's why I liked it." She nodded, cutting the stems of the flowers a little so they would sit nice in the vase as Punk watched her.

"How long were you there for again?" Punk asked her.

"Two months." AJ said, "Obviously everyone spends different lengths of time there. I just needed to find myself whilst figuring out what treatment worked best for me." She said.

"Was this after Sofia?" Punk asked.

"Yeah about a year after." AJ nodded, "I always had symptoms, I just never knew that's what it was." She said, "Sofia was the only one I could really talk to about it." She admitted truthfully.

"I'm really sorry that we're having to dig back into the case." He said, "We're actually meeting with one of the guys from the group that killed her. The one who her parents named."

"He won't talk." AJ shook her head, fixing the flowers and sitting the vase over in the centre of the table, smiling to herself at how bright and pretty they were, turning back around to him, "You're just doing everything they done back then. Nothing is gonna be different."

"We just want to figure out what this Greg guy has to do with it all." Punk said.

"I get that but… can't it just be coincidental that he was interviewed about it. I mean… I was interviewed, doesn't mean I had anything suspicious to do with it."

"You also weren't just randomly killed in your apartment with no explanation or ties to who did it." Punk said.

"Murder can be unpredictable sometimes. It could be friends of his, someone he's crossed, you don't know anything." AJ said.

"I get it's hard-"

"I don't think you do." AJ shook her head, "Try… finding someone who you get on with, someone you can relate to, a best friend. And then being told that she was beaten and raped and killed. She didn't even do anything." AJ shook her head, trying not to get upset in front of him, but for some reason, she felt like she could.

She quickly brushed the tears from her eyes as he sighed and inched closer to her.

"I'm really sorry." Punk said, wrapping his arms around her to give her a friendly hug as she hugged back. It was the softest, warmest and safest hug she'd ever had. The way his arms wrapped fully around her, pulling her close to his body, like he was protecting her. She'd never felt a hug like it, and she knew he didn't have to be here, being nice to her.

She pulled back a little, looking up at him as he looked down. She didn't know if she was just upset and appreciated someone actually giving her a shoulder to cry on, or if she actually did like him and had done for several years, but had just never got close enough to him to see him in this light. Regardless of what it was, she reached up and pressed her lips against his, cupping the back of his head. She felt him hesitate for a second and then kiss back, placing his hands on her waist.

She didn't understand how a kiss could feel so good with someone she always thought she didn't get along with. The way he held her and how his lips felt against hers was indescribable.

They both pulled apart for a second, looking at each other with the same 'this is happening' look before diving straight back in. This time Punk picked her up and began walking out of the kitchen to go upstairs.

He didn't come into her house with the intention of doing this. He really just wanted to give her some flowers and say thank you, but he couldn't deny how great it felt to kiss her.

He walked upstairs with her and into her bedroom, placing her on her bed and taking his shirt off as she brushed her hair from her face and looked on at all the tattoos she didn't know he had.

He climbed over, going back to kissing her on the lips, his hand settled on her neck as she kissed back. Neither were really thinking about what this would do and how this would affect them. AJ knew this wasn't just one of her one night stands where she could avoid him after they did whatever it was they were going to do. And Punk knew he couldn't do the same. But it didn't even feel like a one night stand, there was more to it.

AJ pushed him back a little and for a minute he thought she was going to tell him to stop, but then he watched her take her t-shirt off and unclasp her bra to which he smiled and leaned back over her, kissing down her neck as she rolled her head back.

"Fuck." AJ gasped, feeling his warm mouth kiss along her pulse point and down to her shoulder. She already knew he wasn't just in it for himself and that was rare to find.

"You're so beautiful." Punk whispered, quiet enough so she didn't pick up on it, kissing down her chest and towards her breasts where he used his mouth on each whilst using his hands too. He'd always been attracted to her, but he never thought something like this would happen between them.

She watched as he kissed down her chest, past her stomach before sitting back a little to take her sweats and panties off. She wanted him desperately and was almost confused by these feelings of desire she had for him. She put it down to spending more closer time with him than she usually did.

He tossed her sweats and panties onto the floor, parting her legs before lowering his face between them, using his mouth on her as she jumped a little and gasped.

"Oh my God." AJ bit her lip and arched her back, feeling him part her folds and use his tongue against her clit and around her most sensitive area, "Fuck, that's so good." AJ moaned, propping herself up on her elbows, cupping her breasts as she watched him. He wasn't taking anything lightly, at times she watched his whole mouth closed around her centre.

She then felt him slip a finger inside, collapsing herself back down on the bed. She felt him rub right against her g-spot, adding in another finger whilst continuing to use his mouth on her, "Oh my God, I'm gonna cum." She moaned, placing her hands in her hair as Punk moved his fingers a little quicker, listening to her moan and moan until she eventually came.

He made his way back up her body, pressing his lips back against hers as she kissed back deeply, pulling back to catch her breath again as she looked at him with awe. She was no longer shocked that they were doing this, but she was more shocked at how right and how amazing it felt.

"You're so wet." Punk said, kissing her neck whilst using his fingers on, massaging her clit as AJ moaned softly.

She began unbuckling his belt and pushed his trousers along with his boxers down as he helped her and kicked them off the bed. She then looked between them at his length, her eyes widening a little at his large size before wrapping her hand around him, stroking him up and down as he moaned and placing his head against her shoulder.

"I want you inside of me." AJ whispered in his ear, "I want you so deep inside of me." She moaned, almost pleading with him, kissing his neck whilst stroking him up and down. She never thought she'd be so openly intimate with him but she couldn't help it. She was very much attracted to him and really did want this.

"Turn around." Punk told her as AJ looked at him and smirked, turning around on her stomach, keeping her top half on the bed but lifting her hips up for him.

"Condoms are in there." AJ pointed to her top drawer as Punk reached over and grabbed one out, ripping it open as quick as he could and putting it on himself before kneeling behind her, pulling her by the hips towards him, looking down at her ass and running the tip of his length up and down her slit as her legs quivered.

He slid himself in side of her all the way as she moaned out loudly and grabbed the sheets around her, "Fuck, you're so tight." Punk moaned, gripping her hips and slowly moving back and forth inside of her.

"Oh my God." AJ moaned loudly, "Fuck, you're so deep." She gasped, "That feels so good." She moaned as he smiled.

He started to move in and out of her at a quicker pace as she began to moan louder. He'd never enjoyed being with a girl as much as he was right now with her. He cared about making her feel good for some reason.

"Fuck." Punk moaned to himself, moving in and out of her hard and fast, his hip bones crashing down against her ass every time he pushed inside, the sound of skin slapping skin echoing the room in combination with her very loud moans.

"Yes, just like that. You're gonna make me cum." AJ moaned, twisting her hand underneath her as she began massaging her clit whilst he thrust into her, "Yes! Oh my God." She moaned, reaching her orgasm as she threw her head back and gripped the sheets in front of her as Punk smiled, pulling out of her and turning her around onto her back as she moaned and gasped for air.

"You want more?" He asked her as she gulped and nodded quickly. She didn't know what it was but she just wanted him. She didn't think she wanted him like this until now.

She watched as he lay down beside her before pulling her on top of him as she giggled and smiled, reaching behind her and guiding his length up inside of her as she began moving herself up and down on him as he watched her.

"Fuck." Punk raised his eyebrows as he watched her move her hips up and down on him fast.

"Yeah, you like that?" AJ smiled, wrapping her hand around his neck and pressing a kiss on his lips, continuing to move her hips up and down on him as he smirked and kissed her neck. There was certainly a connection there and things felt as right as they would ever feel.

* * *

Their night came to an end eventually amongst the very messy sheets. Punk finished on top of her, settled between her legs whilst kissing her neck and holding her waist. The night was intimate, steamy, fast-paced and extremely enjoyed by both parties, but never once did they predict this would happen, even if they were attracted to each other. They'd spent so many years stepping on each other's toes that it felt strange that something like this could feel so right, but it did.

Punk collapsed beside her tiredly, turning his head to look at her as she lay naked with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. She was drop dead gorgeous and he knew this wasn't just meaningless sex. He knew what meaningless sex was. And it scared him that this was not it.

"I should go." Punk whispered into the silence as she opened up her eyes and turned to him.

"No." She whispered, sad that he had said that, "No… stay." She rolled onto her side and pressed her body against him, "You don't have to go." She said, surprised at her own self that she was encouraging him to stay. She'd never experienced the feeling of sleeping with someone whilst having feelings for them. She knew it could be dangerous but it just felt too good.

"You want me to stay?" Punk asked her as she nodded and kissed his shoulder.

"Please stay." AJ said softly, still in their moment where it was just the two of them in the whole world. She just wanted to hold onto that moment.

"Ok." Punk nodded, pulling the sheets over them, turning and looking down at AJ who was quickly falling asleep curled into him, sighing to himself as he realised she really wasn't who he always thought she was. There was more to her. More to her that he was beginning to see and admire. He knew it couldn't be this straight forward, however.


	15. Questioning

**Questioning**

* * *

Punk woke up the next morning, turning around immediately as he remembered what last night's activities consisted of, looking on as AJ lay fast asleep on her stomach hugging into her pillow. She looked so beautiful when she slept and it felt painfully cruel to get up and leave her without saying anything, but he wasn't sure what he could really say when she did wake up, he wasn't really sure what had gone on last night other than he enjoyed it way too much.

He got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom, getting cleaned up before putting his clothes back on, noticing she was still thankfully sleeping peacefully. He managed to find a piece of paper lying over on her dresser and found a pen in the same drawer he took a condom from.

He scribbled down a note and lay it on the pillow beside her, sitting the pen down and creeping out of the bedroom and out of the house before she got a chance to wake up.

He was confused and his head felt like it was spinning. Over the past few weeks he had felt like he was seeing a different side to her, but he didn't think it was leading in this direction. The scariest part was that he didn't know what she was thinking. He didn't know if she was just after a one-night stand or if she felt what he did too. He was way too incapable to tell her how he felt. He'd never been in a serious relationship before. He'd never really felt feelings for anyone come to think of it. He wasn't sure how to handle it all.

He went home and showered, getting ready for work and leaving his house to go to the station. He knew what they had done would certainly affect their relationship. He wondered if he'd be able to give her slack anymore. If he'd be able to tease her about her clients like he used to. It felt like a lot had changed just by simply spending the night with her. An amazing night.

He walked into the station and straight into the back where he saw Dean waiting on him.

"Where have you been?" Dean asked worriedly.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"I told you we were starting at eight. We're meeting this fucker in prison." Dean said.

"Shit, sorry." Punk said, remembering the conversation they had, "Ok, let's go then." He said as Dean nodded.

"You look out of it." Dean said.

"I just… overslept, that's all." Punk said.

* * *

AJ woke up shortly after Punk had left, sitting up in bed as she saw the note lying on the pillow beside her. She picked it up and saw 'thanks for the good night' written on it. She didn't know how to take the comment. Was this his way of telling her he was only interested in having sex with her? Because it sounded like it, and suddenly she was beginning to regret her actions.

She went to sleep at peace for the first time in so long. She'd never spent the night with someone whom she had actually developed feelings for, but now she felt like an idiot for having those feelings when he'd quickly escaped talking to her this morning and left a short and blunt note for her.

She wasn't overwhelmed by the feelings. It wasn't like they had sex and suddenly she realised how much she'd always liked him. The feelings had been building in the past few weeks. She felt like she could trust him, she felt safe with him, she knew it was probably why she kissed him in the first place. Now she felt herself in danger by her feelings.

She got out of bed and showered, getting ready to go to work where she assumed she would bump into him. She was mad he had left without saying anything and had left a very trashy note that to her, indicated that he was just after the so called good night with her.

She got ready and had breakfast before leaving her house to go meet a client.

* * *

"Where is your head at? You didn't ask him anything. Left me to do all the damn talking." Dean shook his head, pulling up outside the station after they had visited their guy in prison.

"It's not like he gave us much." Punk groaned, "He's not gonna give up his boys names, not now. He's in there for life anyway." He said.

"We could have pushed him for other things, to see if he knew anything." Dean said, "You're strong point is pressurising people into saying things, you were still half asleep in there." He shook his head.

"Yeah, alright. I get it." Punk shook his head, placing her hand over his forehead, leaning his elbow against the car window.

"Is something wrong with you? Is it Cami?" Dean wondered. He wasn't normally so off, especially not at work.

"No. Everything is fine." Punk said, "It's fine. I'm just tired, that's all." He said, "That prick isn't gonna give us anything. We shouldn't have thought he would have." He shook his head.

"Yeah, well it's worth trying something." Dean reminded him, "Did you see AJ last night?" He asked him.

"What?" Punk turned to him worriedly.

"You said you were gonna go thank her and give her some flowers." Dean shook his head.

"Oh… yeah… I just… gave her the flowers." Punk nodded, "That was it." He shrugged.

"Well what next?" Dean asked him.

"I think we should focus more on Greg, finding out about his life, maybe try and figure out what he was up to the week running up to Sofia's death to see if there is a connection." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "This fucking sucks. It's keeping me awake at night, you know." He said, getting out of the car as Punk got out with him and followed him into the station.

Punk began to slow down his walk when he saw AJ standing at the front desk, watching as Dean turned around to him, "Give me a minute, yeah? I'll get you in the back." Punk said as Dean just nodded and walked on ahead into the back whilst he made his way over to AJ.

"Hey." Punk said as AJ turned around and looked at him.

"Hi." AJ said bluntly, turning back around to the forms she was filling in.

"Can we… talk?" Punk asked her, watching as she handed the forms over to Joan.

"What about?" AJ asked, folding her arms and walking over to the corner to speak privately.

"You know what about." Punk said.

"As far as I know we… just had a great night." AJ shrugged, referencing his note as he looked at her.

"I didn't want to wake you. I had to go to work-"

"Bullshit, you just wanted a quick escape." AJ said, "It's fine. It probably wouldn't be good for us to complicate this any more than what it already is now." She said.

"I did… have a good night." He assured her.

"Yeah, I did too." AJ nodded.

"I just don't know what's going on with us now." He admitted, feeling themselves in a difficult position. Both of them were too stubborn to admit to any feelings, but neither wanted to completely disregard the other and pretend it didn't happen.

"I was upset." AJ said, "I came onto you. It happened. We just… gotta move on." AJ shrugged as Punk looked at her and nodded slowly. He could see it in her eyes that she didn't want to say that to him. Something had definitely changed. The realisation that things felt so good together, so safe and peaceful. But neither could bring themselves to say that.

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "I mean, it's not exactly ideal, right?" He said.

"Right." AJ nodded, "It was just sex." She shrugged, folding her arms as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." He agreed, even though both of them could tell it meant way more than just sex, "It's probably best for our jobs too if we just forget about it." He pointed out.

"Yeah, of course." AJ nodded, "We should probably just… stay out of each other's way." AJ said. She only really knew how to push people away instead of admitting her feelings, and there were definitely feelings she had for him. She didn't see him as the guy who used to tease her anymore, but more like the guy who made her feel safe and good, a guy who she actually wanted to stay the night instead of beg them to leave the second he pulled out of her.

"Yeah, that's probably best." Punk agreed, "We… went to visit that guy in prison." He said, "He didn't give us anything worthwhile." He told her, trying to divert their conversation as AJ just nodded.

"I didn't think he would." AJ said, "I don't really think you're gonna find anything. I was around when the case was undertaken. They didn't find anything then so… finding anything now seems ridiculous." She said as Punk just nodded.

"We gotta keep trying." Punk said as AJ just nodded.

"How is Cami? Have you heard from her?" AJ asked him. Suddenly everything felt weird. She felt like their whole relationship had changed. She knew it would, obviously as they had spent a very passionate night together that they were both refusing to acknowledge, but she just didn't know how to act around him anymore.

"She's gonna phone me later on. They can't have mobile phones so she can't text or anything." Punk said, "I think she'll be ok." Punk nodded to her.

"Yeah, hopefully." AJ said, "Ok, I have to go." She told him, "I will… see you around." She nodded as he smiled softly and nodded, watching as she walked out of the station, groaning to himself and placing his hands over his face.

AJ walked over to her car, dumping her things in the back, taking a deep breath to herself as she done so. She'd never been in a position like that before, where she actually felt feelings. She'd always tried to distance herself from relationships and even friendships. She always felt like they were just more awaited pain, but feelings for him had developed unexpectedly and through no fault of her own.

She slammed the back door shut, opening up the front when she heard him come out of the station.

"April, wait a minute." Punk said as AJ turned around, holding onto the car door, "Uh…" He approached her, scratching the back of his head, "I… I hope you know I didn't use you, that wasn't my intention."

"Phil, you don't need to explain to me-"

"No, I do. Because I… you're not like that for me. I didn't just want the sex." He said, "I've not had a night like that in a long time." He told her honestly as she looked at him, "But I am not… I don't have relationships, I don't really know how they work and I'm not used to confronting it."

"I'm not asking you to." AJ made clear, "I'm not looking for a relationship." She said, even though he had made her question it all.

"I'm not either, I just don't want this to ruin us, and I don't want you to think I just used you." He said.

"I don't think that." AJ said, "I think we got carried away and it's a little awkward right now but it'll pass." She nodded, "We had a nice night." She said, "But we can move on."

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "I just didn't want you to think-"

"I didn't." AJ assured him, "I should go." She said as he nodded.

"Ok, I'll see you around." He nodded to her, walking off and back into the station whilst AJ got into her car, pausing for a few minutes before driving off, wiping the tears of frustration away, mad at herself for being incapable of telling him how she really felt about their night and the time they'd spent together in the past few weeks. She didn't know what to feel anymore.


	16. Feelings

**Feelings**

* * *

Over the next few days Punk and AJ pretty much avoided each other very obviously. Neither could find any words to say to the other. Punk couldn't stop thinking about her. She was the first girl to ever make him feel like this way. He couldn't stop thinking about the night they had, how real and great it was.

AJ couldn't stop thinking about him. She thought maybe she would be able to forget about it, but she just couldn't. Every time she lay in bed she imagined him beside her. She just didn't know how to deal with her feelings. She didn't have any experience with it.

She also knew that it'd be so wrong of her to get close to him in that way, when she knew what happened to Greg. She knew it was wrong anyway for her to be lying, but she couldn't let herself get to that place with him when she was already lying. She felt like her head was in the clouds. She knew these feelings meant trouble.

"I've put in for that damn holiday." Dean grumbled, walking over to the desks and sitting down beside Punk who was filing in a report.

"I could do with a holiday." Punk nodded tiredly. They'd been working tirelessly on Greg's case, just trying so hard to find something, any sort of crack in his life that could have lead them to something worth looking at. They still kept the tabs open on Sofia's case also, but it felt like they were just coming up short at every direction.

"We're going to use Lia's sisters lake house and take Eva. I need a week with no phone and no fucking dead ends." Dean shook his head.

"Sounds nice." Punk said, "Think of me slaving here whilst you're relaxed."

"I'll still be thinking about the case, don't worry. I just need a breather." Dean nodded, running his hands over his face, "I mean there is literally nothing to work with." He shook his head.

"What if we go back to what Helen, the upstairs neighbour told us, that she heard one of the people say they got the wrong girl." Punk said, "Just because we came across no girls in his phone book that had anything to do with it doesn't mean there isn't some conflict with a girl involved." He said as Dean nodded.

"We could ask around the apartment building about any girls in and out of his apartment, anything odd they noticed?" Dean said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go get my things." He said, walking on over to the lockers, grabbing what he needed and meeting back with Dean as they headed out from the offices and into the reception area where Punk saw AJ standing at reception. They'd exchanged nods in the past few days but it all just felt so strange now.

"Whose life are you ruining now?" Dean teased over to her.

"You mean saving?" AJ put on a face and smiled as Dean just scoffed and waved his hand as he and Punk carried on out of the station. Dean turned to Punk as they headed to the car, however, with a little confusion on his face.

"She pissed you off or something?" Dean laughed a little.

"What? No." Punk shook his head immediately.

"You literally haven't said a word to her in like… almost a week." Dean said.

"I don't have anything to say to her." Punk laughed defensively as Dean just nodded, brushing it to the side as Punk groaned internally and got into the car. He just couldn't stop thinking about her.

* * *

Later that day after Punk and Dean had no luck on their quest to further the investigation around Greg's life, they ended up back in the station until late where everyone had gone home or were out for their night shift.

"Hey, you two." Ian walked over to them, zipping up his jacket, "I love your dedication. It's what a lot of the guys in here lack." He nodded, "But… some things… some things we just don't get answers to. It's the downfall to this job and it's something we have to accept when it comes down to it. I know it's frustrating, and you're both working your asses off to find something, anything worth driving forward with." He said, "But you can only look into something so much." He said.

"It just doesn't make sense." Dean shook his head.

"Some things don't. It's a hard fact of this job." Ian said, "You're both incredible workers and you've not stopped, but sometimes stopping is the best decision." He said, "Before it starts going to your head."

"I think it's already gone to my head." Punk admitted truthfully.

"That's when you know it needs to stop." Ian said, "I need you working on other things now."

"So that guy just gets murdered and we ignore it?" Punk asked.

"It happened months ago now. Yes, we still keep our eyes and ears opened, but you guys can't keep looking for things you aren't going to find." Ian said.

"I've never came across anything like it." Dean said, "In all my time working here. There's always been something to go on with. Even if it was just a small thing. But with this case… it's just loose end after loose end." He shook his head.

"I know. And I know it's frustrating for you both. I understand. But sometimes it's time to move onto something else, get you both back on patrol." He said.

"Give us another few weeks." Punk nodded, "Then we'll call it a day."

"Ok." Ian nodded, "I just don't want it frying you both." He said.

"We'll be fine." Punk nodded.

"Mhm." Ian said, "Ok, I'm off. Whoever is last out, lock up the office doors." He said as they both nodded, watching him leave the office and desk area as Punk turned to Dean who was stretching and standing up.

"I need to turn in for the night too." Dean groaned a little, "I'm way too tired." He sighed to himself, grabbing his things from his desk and shutting his computer off.

"I'm gonna stay a little while longer. Read into Sofia's case a little more." Punk said.

"Ok, man. See you tomorrow." Dean said, patting him on the back and leaving out to reception as Punk turned back to his computer.

* * *

Later on, AJ was walking down the corridor in the station from speaking to a client. She stood waiting at reception to hand in some files but realised that Joan had probably finished her shift, and she didn't want to wait on the night porter.

She walked over to the swing doors, opening them up as she looked at the row of empty desks and offices, when her eyes spotted Punk sitting at his desk. Of course he was literally the only one in the station.

She thought about backing away but then he looked up and saw her and she had no choice but to walk in, "Uh… hey, Joan isn't at the front desk, I just needed to leave these for my client." AJ said, walking up the isle towards him as he stood up from his desk.

"I'll give her them in the morning." Punk nodded, taking them from her and sitting them down on his desk.

"Shouldn't you be… home?" AJ asked, looking around at the creepily quiet offices and desks. She was used to seeing it so busy during the day, "Where is everyone?"

"Home or out on the beat" Punk told her, "I'm supposed to be home but I'm doing a little bit of light reading." He said as AJ looked at his computer, seeing the picture of Sofia.

"Won't let it go, huh?" She said.

"Just doing my research." Punk said.

"She's not something to be researched." AJ said defensively as Punk looked across at her wearily and nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk said, "Tell me if this sounds crazy." He told her, "What if Greg wasn't involved with her murder but he knew something? Maybe he saw the faces of the people who killed Sofia and he was finally gonna come forward when he mysteriously got killed?"

"This sounds crazy." AJ replied as Punk's face dropped, "What would he have saw? Why would he have waited this long to spark up the courage to come forward?"

"Maybe he was being threatened. I don't know." Punk sighed, collapsing down on his chair as AJ watched him. It hurt her for him to be so stressed about something which she had all the answers to, but she promised her brother, and she never broke a promise, and she would never put Sofia's family in the shit like that.

"Maybe you're just tired and you're overthinking." AJ said. It was the first time they'd spoke properly in a few days and she suddenly realised how much she had missed him. All she'd been doing was thinking about him, and she believed he knew that. They would exchange certain looks in and out of the station if she was around. She couldn't help how she felt about him.

"Maybe." Punk nodded, looking up at her. All he could think about was the night they spent together, how so much had changed, how he felt himself missing her, longing for her, and he knew she felt the same. It felt stupid acting so distant like nothing had happened when there was clearly attraction, physically and personality wise.

"How is your sister?" AJ asked him, not ready to excuse herself and disappear just yet. She missed him, she missed talking to him, hearing his voice.

"She's doing good." Punk nodded, "Calls me every night. It's tough, obviously. But she sounds bright enough." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

"That's good." AJ smiled, "I'm glad."

"Yeah, it's less things for me to worry about." He said as AJ nodded.

"I understand." AJ said. She found it odd that she missed him. It wasn't like they were super close. Just over the past few weeks she felt like she was getting to know him, and getting closer to him, and seeing a different side to him. Not to mention their night of course where she really saw him, all of him, "It sounds ridiculous but… I miss you." She nodded. He deserved honesty from her. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she'd just moved on and no longer cared to acknowledge him.

"You miss me?" Punk shook his head, standing up.

"Yeah, just… we were seeing a lot of each other those past few weeks and now I feel like I just don't see you." AJ said, "And I get it's probably because of what happened, I guess that was our choice but… I… I do miss you." She said as Punk nodded.

"I miss you too." Punk said, "In whatever way you mean it." He laughed as she smiled, looking across at him as they stayed in silence, staring across at one another.

She just couldn't help it. It was like she was craving him. She just wanted to feel him again.

She took her coat off, hanging it on the back of the chair as Punk watched her, gulping as she inched closer to him.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Punk told her honestly.

"It's not." AJ agreed, "But I want it." She whispered, "I know you do too." She said as Punk looked down at her, this time making the first move as he pressed his lips against hers. It almost became their confirmation that they both had feelings and that it wasn't just a one-time thing. It was easier to do this than speak words in both their respective fields.

Punk picked her up and grabbed the keys, walking into one of the empty offices, kissing her deeply as he shut the door behind him and locked the it, putting her down as he tilted the shutter blinds on the windows. Even though there wasn't anyone there, he just wanted to be safe.

He then turned around, watching AJ step out of her dress, standing in just her underwear as he looked across at her, watching her walk towards him. He had confirmation now that this wasn't just a one-time thing, there was much more desire of that than just a one-night stand.

AJ pressed her lips back against his, lightly pushing him against the wall, ripping his shirt open and taking it off before pressing her lips back against his, beginning to kiss her way down his chest and body until she dropped to her knees in front of him and unbuckled his belt, pushing down his boxers with his trousers, wrapping her hand around him and stroking him up and down with her hand as Punk looked down.

"Fuck." He moaned, watching her as she suddenly took him in her mouth, slowly bobbing her head up and down his length, taking him lightly at first as he brushed her hair out of her face, watching as her eyes rolled up to look at him whilst she bobbed her head up and down.

She took him a little further each time, bobbing her head up and down, releasing him to use her hand, going back and forth from the two motions whilst he rolled his head back against the wall.

He then found some will power and pulled her up to her feet, guiding her over to the desk which was empty, turning her around as she got the idea and bent herself over the table. She felt him take her panties off and lift one of her legs up onto the table.

She then felt him use his mouth on her for a few minutes before standing back up straight and pushing his length inside of her. She gripped the sides of the table immediately, pressing her cheek against the cool wood and moaning to herself.

"Fuck, baby." AJ moaned with relief, having been dreaming about that feeling for almost a week. She didn't know what all of this meant. If it meant they both mutually agreed that this felt right. That it felt better than they expected and that they did have feelings for one another.


	17. Warning

**Warning**

* * *

"What is this?" AJ asked, sitting on the floor against the wall in the office leaning against Punk. She had her underwear and his shirt on. They didn't have to worry about anyone coming in as the back offices were dead.

"What?" Punk asked her quietly.

"This." AJ said tiredly, "What are we doing?" She asked him.

"I have no idea." Punk admitted, "I just know I like it."

"I'd be worried if you didn't." AJ rolled her eyes as he smiled.

"Ok, then I really like it." Punk said, "I like you." He turned to her as she looked up at him. It was all she needed to hear. She still wasn't sure if he was just wanting to get laid but she could tell now that it was much more for him too, and that made her confident to let him know how she felt.

"I like you too." AJ nodded and smiled, "It scares me though." She whispered to him as if telling him a secret.

"Why?" Punk shook his head.

"I've never… liked someone like this before." She told him truthfully.

"Me neither." Punk assured her as she smiled.

"Why can't we speak properly?" She laughed, finding it amusing that they both found it challenging to say things. She knew it was because they'd both never been in this position before.

"Actions speak louder than words." Punk shrugged as AJ just nodded and smiled, "I thought maybe we could just move on from the first night but for some reason I just couldn't." He told her honestly. It was hard not to admit how he felt at this point.

"Yeah, me too." AJ nodded. She realised quickly that maybe he was the only exception she had ever found. The only person who she'd actually felt an emotional connection with, and it wasn't just about the sex. She'd known him for a lot of years and could appreciate a good looking man when she saw one, but as of late, over the past few weeks, getting to know him, helping his sister, seeing a different side to him and letting him see a different side to her made her feel so much closer to him, "I don't know what it is… I just feel safe with you." She admitted, tangling her arm around his, leaning against him, "I thought we hated each other." She whispered as Punk laughed a little.

"My mom used to tell me if you like teasing a girl it means you like them." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"It makes sense." AJ nodded, "I just… don't know how to handle myself in these situations." She admitted truthfully. She was still scared of getting too close to someone, "I deliberately don't get close to people."

"Why?" Punk asked her.

"In case I lose them." AJ said, "I don't want to go through what happened to Sofia all over again. It's easier to… be alone than have someone and suffer losing them-"

"You're not going to lose everyone just because you lost her." Punk reminded her, "What happened to her was tragic, I know, and I can't imagine how it made you feel, but you can't be robbed of your life because of that." He said.

"I know." AJ sighed, knowing he was right, "I like this, though." She nodded, "I don't know what it is or what we're wanting out of it but I know I like it." She looked up at him as he nodded.

"Me too." Punk smiled, leaning down and kissing her softly as she cupped his cheek and kissed back. It was a nice feeling, to be on mutual understanding with each other that this was more than just sex, and that they did feel things.

"What are we supposed to do then? Date?" AJ wondered with confusion as Punk also wondered.

"That's what people do I think." Punk said, genuinely confused, "Or maybe we just keep it casual between us before dating." He said.

"Yeah, that sounds like a better idea." AJ nodded, "You don't want to scare me away, do you?" She teased as he smiled.

"That would be the wrong thing for me to do." Punk nodded, "I want to get to know you." He said seriously as she smiled. No one had ever been this interested in her and it felt nice to be wanted, especially with someone who she wanted back.

"Likewise." AJ smiled, sitting up and straddling his hips, "We're taking it slow?" She asked him, kissing his lips on and off as he nodded, his hands placed at the small of her back.

"Yeah." Punk nodded with a smile as she took his shirt off from around her, pressing her lips back against his, enjoying feeling close to someone whom she knew actually cared about her. It was a new and exciting feeling.

* * *

"You're acting strange." Dean noticed the next morning, sitting next to Punk at their desks, watching as Punk continued to click the stapler back and forth.

"Maybe because I'm agitated." Punk told him as he threw the stapler down on the desk, "Ian pretty much told us that if we don't get somewhere with this case then we need to move on, and I don't want to let it go." He shook his head.

"I know." Dean said, "But if there's nothing to go on with then there's nothing to go on with." He shrugged, "We can't magic something up, and Ian is right, other things need our attention."

"Just feels strange." Punk told him. He and AJ had agreed not to make their seeing of one another noticeable. It was early and as both of them had stated, they really weren't sure what they even wanted and were just testing the waters. But all he was doing was thinking about her, and he knew that was a dangerous sign.

"Did we check his plate? See he was driving to on the lead up to his death?"" Dean asked.

"I'm not sure, did we?" Punk asked, "I'm forgetting what we've covered and what we've not." He admitted truthfully.

"I don't think we have." Dean said hopefully, "I'm gonna go run his plate and see if we have any hope." He said as Punk nodded.

"I gotta give these to Joan." Punk stood up, picking up the papers which AJ had left with him last night before things got hot and heavy.

He walked out of the back office area and out to reception, leaning over the desk as Joan came over to him.

"You ok?" Joan asked him politely.

"Yeah, good." Punk said, "AJ left these for her client last night. You'd already left and she didn't want to leave them with the night porter. He always loses things." He said, handing over the papers as Joan just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you." Joan said as Punk nodded, watching her file away the papers, "You need anything else?" She asked casually.

"Actually." Punk said, taking a chance, "What do girls like?" He asked her as Joan raised a brow.

"Excuse me?" Joan said.

"No, not like that." Punk scoffed, "Like… dating wise." He said as Joan laughed a little.

"You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Joan said as Punk just looked at her, "Oh God, are you being serious?" She freaked out.

"Yeah, I need help." Punk nodded.

"Right." Joan said, "Well just be yourself. I think that's important. Don't be someone you're not. Don't try too hard either. If it doesn't flow then it doesn't flow. Don't force it." She said as Punk nodded, "Who is the lucky girl then?" She asked.

"That's a private matter, Joan." Punk scoffed. He knew there weren't any dates planned as far as he and AJ went, but he just wanted to understand what he was supposed to be doing. He really hadn't even slept with a girl twice in a row. He was completely out of his comfort zone but it made up for it when he was with AJ, things just felt so right.

"Well I hope it works out for you." Joan nodded.

"Thanks." Punk said, "Am I allowed to make jokes?" He wondered as Joan looked at him sympathetically.

"Well I suppose that's part of your ugly character isn't it." Joan said as Punk raised a brow, "Make all the jokes you want." She nodded.

"Well that's ok then." Punk nodded to himself.

* * *

Later that night, Punk and Dean had left the station after running Greg's license plate. They hoped when they arrived at work in the morning they would have some new information. Punk drove straight to AJ's house. They agreed to see each other on the down low for the time being.

He knocked on her door and it seemed like she immediately answered, pulling him in and locking the door behind her. It felt good just to shut the outside world away and have him here with her.

"You're late." AJ frowned a little, walking up the stairs backwards so she could look at him, pulling her t-shirt off along the way whilst he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"I got held up." Punk told her, picking her up once reaching the top of the stairs.

"I missed you. Is that bad?" AJ asked him breathlessly as he kissed her neck. It scared her how much she felt attached to him already, how much she craved to feel him. It was all she was thinking about all day.

"No. I missed you too." Punk nodded, placing her down on the centre of the bed, taking his shirt fully off as she watched with a smile.

It felt nice to be on the same level of understanding with each other that they both agreed that something was definitely going on, however, neither wanted to dive head first into anything serious just yet. It felt good for this to be something which they only knew about it in their own private little world.

They began stripping each other's clothes off, playing around with one another until AJ wound up on top of him, sinking herself down on top of him as she rolled her head back and placed her hands on his chest to steady her.

She knew it felt different because she'd never had sex with anyone who she actually had feelings for. Most times she had sex she barely even knew the guy, but he was different, he made her feel things she didn't know she could feel.

"Fuck, baby. You're so deep." AJ smiled, leaning forward, kissing his lips whilst moving her hips up and down gently to adjust to his size.

"Yeah, you like that?" Punk said quietly, caressing the back of her neck as she smiled and nodded.

"You like it." AJ replied dominantly, grabbing his chin and kissing him again whilst moving her hips a little faster, suddenly feeling him hold her waist and thrust up into her, "Oh, fuck. Just like that." She moaned, breaking away from the kiss, pressing her forehead on his shoulder whilst he met her thrusts. He'd already figured out what she liked and what made her really lose it, and she'd never experienced that before either, it was different and exciting, "You're gonna make me cum." AJ moaned, straightening back up, placing her hand down herself and stroking her clit whilst he thrust into her, her knees dug into the mattress on either side of him.

"Go on then." Punk said, watching as she stroked herself with her fingers, thrusting up into her, pushing against her g-spot as he watched her reach an orgasm very quickly.

"Oh my God." She moaned, placing a hand on his chest, pausing her fingers over her clit as her body shook, feeling his length slowly move in and out of her whilst she rode out her high, "Fuck." AJ gasped, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on his lips as he spun them around and took her from behind.

* * *

"I need this holiday so much." Dean shook his head, walking into his bedroom where he saw his girlfriend sitting up reading her book, sitting it down once she saw him come in.

"Baby, this case is taking it out of you." Lia sighed, "I don't like seeing you so tired." She shook her head as Dean nodded.

"It's part of the gig, isn't it?" Dean said.

"No, not feeling like this." Lia shook her head, "This holiday you need to relax and zone out of it all." She said as he got into bed, "Enjoy some us time." She smiled.

"I always have time for us time." Dean smirked, leaning over and giving her a kiss as she kissed back, pulling her over on top of him when there was a knock at the door, "I give up." Dean placed his hand on his forehead as Lia smiled and kissed his nose, getting off of him and off the bed, "Might be Phil, if it is, tell him to fuck off." Dean grumbled, rolling over in bed as Lia laughed and left the bedroom, walking downstairs and to their front door.

She opened up the door and couldn't see a person in sight. All she saw on their doorstep was a cardboard box sitting.

Dean was hugging into the covers, almost falling asleep from how tired he was, when he was immediately woken by Lia's screams from downstairs. He shot out of bed and flew down the stairs, rushing to her at the door.

"What? What's wrong?" Dean asked her, placing his hands on her waist as she pointe down to the box.

Dean crouched down and looked in the box, looking on at the two dead rats with a note on top. He picked the note up and stood up straight.

"What does it say?" Lia asked, her heart racing, placing her hand on her chest as Dean groaned a little and showed her the note which said 'stop digging' on it, "Is this a joke with the boys or something?" Lia asked him, "Because I don't find it funny." She told him.

"No, it's not a joke." Dean said, stepping outside for a second and looking around the empty and quiet street, "Go back upstairs." He nodded to her as Lia shook her head and escaped back upstairs whilst Dean stared at the note with anger.


	18. Casual

**Casual**

* * *

"I thought you always legit hated me." Punk laughed a little, lying in bed on his back whilst AJ lay on her side beside him, holding his hand upon his chest and watching him.

"Well maybe I did at the beginning." AJ said, "I figured I was coming to the land of giants. You and Dean were the first ones to really take digs at me so I knew I had to shut you both down just as quick." She said, "I always found you attractive though." She nodded truthfully.

"Attractive but maybe a dick sometimes?" Punk turned to her.

"Something like that." AJ smiled.

"So you've really never had a boyfriend?" Punk asked her.

"Really." AJ said, "I just never liked getting close to anyone." She shrugged, "And I never had to worry about it because I'd never found someone that I wanted to get close to anyway." She told him truthfully, "But you're different." She said, "I feel like I've known you my whole life." She shook her head.

"Yeah, it's weird." Punk agreed, "I think maybe we were so busy concentrating on annoying each other we didn't give ourselves a chance to even… let our hair down a little. Not until the past few weeks anyway." He said.

"Yeah." AJ agreed, "All this stuff with Sofia, her case being brought back up, it's just sort of bringing it all back, you know?" She said as Punk nodded.

"I'm sorry we have to do it, but-"

"No, it's your job." AJ shook her head, "I would never expect you to neglect it because I said so. You have a job to do and you do it so well." She nodded as he smiled, "It's just hard hearing it all again."

"Were your folks friends with her folks?" He wondered.

"Yeah, we were." AJ smiled, "We came over to the states around the same time so we shared that in common, and we lived not that far apart. We just had really similar stories." She said.

"What's your story?" Punk asked her.

"Nothing particularly interesting." AJ laughed a little.

"I wanna know you." Punk shrugged as she turned to him. She was still very weary of course, about letting her guard down that she'd built so high, but she really did trust him for some reason.

"Well I was born in Puerto Rico." She told him, "We struggled a lot financially. My parents didn't really know how to be parents or how to be adults for that matter." She shook her head, "My mom is bipolar too so, growing up with that, not knowing what was wrong with her, it was hard." She nodded, "I'm close to my brother. He always looked after me. Doesn't know when to shut up of course." AJ nodded, "We thought moving here would give us a fresh start. My gran died and we got ourselves a little bit of money, so we came here and tried to make a living but we still had struggles." She said, "And then Sofia died."

"So you don't speak to your parents?" Punk asked.

"I speak to them, not a lot, but there's no bad blood. They're a lot stable now, mentally and financially." She said, "And my brother tries to come visit as much as possible." She nodded.

"We all got struggles." Punk nodded.

"What about you? What was life for little Phil like?" She smiled, realising it was actually quite nice to open up to someone.

"Kinda the same." He said, "My mom and dad split up when I was six. She was cheating on him." Punk nodded, "But he was a drunk so… sometimes I don't know who deserves more sympathy." He shook his head, "Never saw my dad again after that. Mom got with her new boyfriend. I was never close to her. I was just like a thing to her. There was never love there. Then they had Cami when I was fifteen. Cami's dad split right away. I pretty much took care of her because my mom didn't want to." He said, "Sometimes I wondered, why have kids if you don't wanna look after them?" He shook his head.

"Right." AJ agreed.

"My mom just became like a floating ghost in and out of our lives until she just announced she was leaving. She comes back every now and then but she knows if she ever comes near me I'll just go off." He said, "I have no time for her."

"Not the ideal upbringings, huh?" AJ smiled to him.

"Could have been better." Punk nodded, "I don't constantly think about it though."

"No me neither." AJ nodded as he looked at her, "What?" She smiled.

"Nothing." Punk said, "It's just… nice to talk to someone." He said as AJ nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it is." AJ smiled, "I don't know what it is we're doing, but I know I like it and I know it's not just meaningless sex." She said, "I do really like you." She nodded, she felt more confident to tell him how she felt now that she was sure that he felt the same way.

"I feel the same." Punk nodded, "But we don't have to rush into anything."

"Yeah." AJ agreed, "I like this right now." She nodded, resting her head on his chest. Just having someone to chat to, whom she had a unbelievable connection with and who she trusted was enough for her just now. She didn't need an expensive date or to hold his hand in public just yet, and he felt the same which eased her mind a lot.

"I'd like to take my time with this. I don't want to mess it up." He told her truthfully. He knew what they had was rare and special, otherwise it wouldn't have felt so sacred, so the last thing he wanted was to rush into it all and ruin it.

"Me neither." AJ agreed.

"But I also don't want you to think I'm just interested in late night booty calls." He said as she laughed and smiled.

"What's wrong with late night booty calls?" AJ countered as he just smiled. He loved her laugh, and was beginning to notice her for her and not just her persona at work. There was so many layers to her and he felt privileged she was stripping them back for him.

"Nothing, I just don't want you to think that's all I'm interested in."

"I know you're not." AJ smiled, leaning up and pressing her lips against his, giving him a few kisses just as his phone began to vibrate over in his pocket, "Is that your other bit on the side?" She teased.

"Funny." Punk nodded, getting out of bed, pulling his boxers on and grabbing his phone from his pocket, answering the call which he saw was from Dean, "Hey." Punk answered whilst AJ lay back down on the bed, holding the sheets to her, "Slow down." Punk said as he listened to Dean ramble on the phone whilst AJ turned around.

"Ok. Yeah. I'll be there as quick as I can." Punk said, hanging up and shaking his head.

"What is it?" AJ asked.

"There was a box with two dead rats sat outside Dean's house with a note that said stop digging in it." Punk said, putting his clothes on as AJ sat up.

"Oh my God." AJ shook her head, "Do you think it has something to do with Greg's case?" AJ asked.

"Yeah or maybe Sofia's." Punk nodded to her as she nodded slowly, "I'm sorry I have to go. Tonight was nice." He told her, even if they had just had sex and a chat, it was slow and not too overwhelming for them this way. There was still a lot of feelings that needed to be digested.

"Yeah." AJ smiled, "Well let me know if anything happens, if you find anything." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Punk nodded, leaning over and giving her a kiss as she cupped his cheek and kissed back, "I'll see you later on." He told her as she smiled and nodded, watching as he walked out of her bedroom, listening to him leave the house.

Her smile began to slowly fade as she lay down in the bed, realising that what she was doing was unfair. She knew if she had feelings for him, which she did, and she was acting on those feelings, and letting him in the way she wanted to, she couldn't be lying to him. She knew what had happened to Greg and she couldn't risk telling him, but the thought of lying to him whilst developing these feelings of trust, and feeling everything so right with him made her so conflicted and upset.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Punk asked, pulling up outside Dean's house where he was standing waiting for him to arrive.

"No, I'm not fucking ok. This shit is pissing me off." Dean told him, "That's crossing a line." He said.

"Did you ask around to see if anyone saw anything?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." Dean said, "I asked the neighbours and around the area but… it's 2am, no one saw anything." He shook his head, "Sorry I woke you up I just needed to talk about it." He said with frustration.

"It's ok." Punk nodded, "We'll sort this out." He said as Dean nodded, "Must be someone who knows something about Greg-"

"Or Sofia." Dean pointed out, "I assume they sent two rats to represent the both of us. How creative." He shook his head, taking a cigarette out from his back pocket, "Don't tell Lia I'm doing this." He said, lighting it up and puffing the smoke into the air.

"Is she ok?" Punk asked.

"Nah, she's spooked. Wants me to drop the case so we can go on holiday and forget about it." Dean said, "She found it. Let out a scream. I thought it was gonna be a head or something." He shook his head.

"Maybe someone has been watching us?" Punk asked.

"I was thinking that maybe when we went to see that fucker in prison, he told his boys we were sniffing around, Sofia's killers." Dean said, "Or it's just someone who has noticed we're looking into the case, Greg or Sofia's, and they've got worried we'll find something." Dean said.

"Which means there is something to find." Punk said, "That's a good thing." He said as Dean nodded, puffing the smoke into the air just as Lia came out. He quickly threw the cigarette into the neighbours garden and turned around as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Phil." Lia smiled tiredly.

"Hey, you ok?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah, I guess." Lia said, "Are you two going out or are you coming back in?" She asked him tiredly.

"Will you be ok if I go out?" Dean asked, making sure he didn't breathe on her in case she smelt smoke.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She rubbed his arm, "Just be careful. Both of you. I think you're poking at something that someone doesn't like." She said, "I'll see you when you get home, whenever that may be." She said, leaning up to give Dean a kiss as Dean quickly kissed her cheek whilst Punk arched a brow.

"You get some sleep." Dean told her as she walked back into the house and shut the door over.

"I thought she knew you stress smoked." Punk said, walking down the path.

"No. She'd kill me." Dean shook his head.

"Ok, I think we should check the visitation list for that guy we saw in prison, see who he's been talking to." He said as Dean nodded, getting in the car and driving off.


	19. Let It Go

**Let It Go**

* * *

"Did you come across anything?" AJ asked, seeing Punk in the station the next morning where he approached her on his own whilst Dean had gone off into the back offices.

"Yeah, we checked the visitation list for the fucker in prison, one of the guys from the group, he had a visit from someone immediately after me and Dean left from questioning him. We've got the name but… we don't think it's gonna give us something. These guys are smart, and they know we're looking into it." He said.

"You need to be careful." AJ said worriedly. She knew all about Greg and what happened to him and why he was killed, but she still didn't know who killed her best friend, she didn't have the names or faces of them and she was worried that Punk wasn't aware of who and what he was disturbing.

"I'm ok." Punk assured, "How are you? Sorry I had to leave so quickly through the night." He said.

"That's ok." AJ nodded, "I'm fine. I'm just here to talk to a client." She smiled as he nodded, "Will I be… seeing you tonight?" She asked him.

"Do you want to see me tonight?" He asked her.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I'll stop by after my shift." Punk nodded, "You might be the very thing that's keeping me sane throughout all of this. Dean's just about lost it." He shook his head.

"Try and not let it get to your head. I know it's obviously… a lot to process, I mean clearly someone isn't happy about the set up." She said as Punk nodded, "Maybe you guys should lay off it a little bit." She nodded.

"That's just giving in. I mean, we could get to the bottom of not just Greg's murder but Sofia's. We can finally put it to bed." He said as she pushed a smile and nodded.

"You're a determined kid." AJ smiled, "I just want you to be careful." She emphasised.

"I always am." Punk assured her.

"Ok, I'm gonna go and see my client. He's six foot and doesn't like to be kept waiting." She nodded.

"Well fuck, get a move on then." Punk told her as she smiled and headed on off down the corridor.

Punk was glad he had her to keep him steady in all of this. She'd almost became his safe place where he could go and switch off from everything around him. She had that power and he was totally ok with how things were going with them. It was slow, private and steady. There wasn't any need to announce it to anyone yet.

He walked on into the back office where Dean was sitting at his desk. Just as he was approaching him he suddenly got off from his chair.

"Holy shit. Holy shit holy shit." Dean repeated over and over again as Punk shook his head.

"What? What?" Punk approached him quickly.

"It's the same name." Dean said, "The name on the visitation list, it's the same name that was used when the motel was booked, the motel Sofia was found in." Dean said.

"Let me see." Punk said as he looked on at the files, noticing the matching names, "Fuck." Punk shook his head, "But why use the same name and fake ID obviously?" Punk said, "That gives it away that it's the people who killed her."

"No. It gives away nothing. We still don't have their actual name or face. We just know that it was that motherfucker in prison who warned one of his boys that we were digging, which gives me more reason to believe they had something to do with Greg's murder." Dean said.

"Ok, we can go to the prison and ask what the guy looked like, clearly he matches his fake ID of this made up person." Punk said, "But we can see if any of the guards can give any more information away." He nodded.

"Yeah." Dean said, "And I think we should start looking into these guys, seeing what they're about, what they got up to before Sofia's death-"

"Well they're all like fucking ghosts." Punk shook his head.

"AJ was around then, when it happened. Maybe she'd know some more things." Dean shrugged, logging off the computer.

"Nah, I doubt it." Punk said, really just trying to save AJ from getting involved, he knew she wouldn't want to be when it was so personal to her, "She was more focused on losing her best friend."

"I know but maybe she remembered something, even just a little detail, maybe something Sofia said to her before she was murdered, anything-"

"Dean." Punk said, "I don't think we should involve AJ." He made clear as Dean looked at him.

"Why the fuck not?" Dean shook his head.

"Because she finds it hard to talk about it. If she knew something she'd tell us, it was her best friend." Punk reminded him.

"Since when did you care about April Mendez's feelings?" Dean scoffed.

"I-I don't. There's just no reason to involve her." Punk said. He didn't want it to seem like he and AJ seeing one another was a huge secret never to be told, he was absolutely not ashamed to be with her, but they both agreed it was nice to just figure things out slowly, since they'd never gone through the process of it all before.

"Fine. Whatever, let's just go back to the prison." Dean said as they walked on out of the station.

* * *

"It just feels like they're playing us. And it's fucking annoying." Punk shook his head, later that night, laying on his stomach in AJ's bed whilst she rested behind him, tracing her finger around his back, kissing his shoulder every now and then, not seeing his face but knowing he was frustrated.

"They're bad men." AJ said quietly, her naked body pressed against his, lightly running her fingertips up and down his back. They'd spent another amazing night together. Although it seemed as though it was just sex, it was way more than that, it was the feeling of having something constant in their lives, and the pace they were taking things was definitely working for them.

"Did you know anything about them?" Punk asked, thinking about what Dean had said about asking her, trying to slip the question in gently.

"No, nothing." AJ said, "Just the men who murdered my best friend." She said.

"They were loan sharks, right?" Punk asked, "So her family was involved with them? Was yours?" He wondered, racing ahead.

"Woah, easy boy." She smiled, "They were loan sharks but… I believe that was just an excuse for them to… do bad things." She nodded, "Sofia's parents weren't well off like mine, and they also weren't as smart. They thought they could get the money and pay it back when they could afford to." She said, "They learned quickly about the increase in interest, and then Sofia's brother, Matthew, he and his friends, including my brother, they tried to go negotiate to get the guys off their backs but it just made them mad." She said, "Few days later… Sofia was found dead."

"I assume the guy they spoke to was the guy in prison?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." AJ said, "My parents never got involved with them, they just knew of what happened, our families were close." She nodded as Punk turned around on his side to face her as she smiled.

"We know it's them who sent the box to Dean's house." Punk said.

"How?" AJ asked him.

"Well when we left prison after speaking to the guy, he had a visit almost immediately after. The name that was used was the same name used to book the motel the night Sofia was found dead." Punk said, "Clearly the prick in prison was warning his guys in hiding to be careful. Which makes me think they have something to do with Greg's death too."

"Doesn't Greg's death seem completely different? It does to me." AJ admitted. It broke her to have to lie to him, she felt awful but she was in a position where she still didn't know where their relationship was going, and she could never betray her brother or Sofia's family like that.

"Sometimes I think it's different, I think maybe it's just timing." Punk said, "Because Helen, his upstairs neighbour, she told us the night he died there was a squabble in his apartment, the only thing she heard someone shout was 'they got the wrong girl'" Punk said as AJ stiffened a little and looked at him, "At first I thought, maybe that's in reference to Sofia but why would her killers say that. That's when I started thinking about Sofia's family, but they're in Puerto Rico so… it can't be." He shook his head as AJ sighed.

"Your head sounds like it's on fire." AJ smiled, placing her hand on his forehead.

"Feels like it." Punk sighed, resting his head down on the pillow, "I've worked on a lot of cases before but this… this is ridiculous." He sighed, "Maybe we could talk to Sofia's family, ask them about what they remember, go back over things-"

"Go back over the worst thing that ever happened to them? Something they're trying to escape every day?" AJ asked, "I don't think that's such a good idea." She said, "Sofia's case was simple, they just couldn't find the people who did it." She said, "They knew it was that group of guys, they just wouldn't put time and effort into finding them."

"Well I can put time and effort into finding them. And figuring out what happened to Greg." Punk said.

"You're a human being." AJ reminded him, "Some things can't be solved."

"Don't. You sound like Ian." He groaned, "I think Dean is gonna explode before he goes on holiday. And I'm left on my own for a week to keep working on this shit." He shook his head.

"You sound like you need a holiday too." AJ smiled.

"I fucking do." Punk groaned as she smiled and curled into him, "I'm serious when I say you're the only thing that's keeping me sane right now." He told her as she smiled.

"Good." AJ nodded, "I'm glad I could help in some way." She looked up at him, "I like this. It's not as overwhelming as I thought it'd be." She told him truthfully. She was catching very deep feelings for him, but that only meant it was harder to deal with the fact she knew what he was trying to figure out so desperately. She never wanted to hurt him or lie to him, she already cared about him too much to do that, but she finally found something that felt so right, she didn't want to push it away like she did with everyone else.

"Yeah, it's nice." He smiled, running his hand around her back, "Maybe soon I could take you out on a… proper date." He said as she smiled.

"I think I'd like that." She smiled and nodded, surprised at how her own face lit up at the thought of it. She thought the world would have to be falling down around her for her to go on a date, but with him it just felt different, "Are you only saying that because Dean will be on holiday?" She teased.

"No." Punk laughed, "No, I just really wanna take you out." He nodded.

"I'd be happy to go out with you." AJ smiled, kissing his chest and resting her chin on him as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You're beautiful." He said, without even realising. Her beauty on the outside definitely matched on the inside, and he knew that because she was opening up and letting him in. He was seeing the real her and falling head over heels.

"Stop." AJ scoffed as he smiled. The best part was she didn't even realise just how beautiful she was.

"I won't." Punk smiled, turning his head and looking at the clock on the night stand and groaning, "Three whole hours of sleep." He smirked, turning back to her.

"We're so lucky." She nodded, "Promise me you won't let this case… these cases, fry your brain. I mean, maybe that's what happened to the officers back when it happened, maybe that's why everything was closed. It's a tough one, and it's not your fault if you can't get anywhere with it."

"It's my job to get somewhere with it." Punk said.

"You have other priorities." AJ reminded him. She wasn't deliberately trying to put him off the cases because she was worried he would find out what she already knew, but she was genuinely concerned about the lack of sleep and sanity he was finding with it all.

"I know." Punk nodded, "I feel like owe it to her, though. Reading all about the case… I feel like I knew her." He admitted as AJ nodded.

"She would have liked you." AJ nodded, "Look, I know you want to find out who did, names and faces, as well with Greg, I do too, of course I do… she was my best friend, practically my sister, but sometimes it's better to let things go, to give ourselves the chance to move on. That's what her family had to do." She said.

"I know." Punk said, "It just seems unfair." Punk shook his head.

"I know, trust me." She said, playing with his hair around the curve of his ear, "But you won't be a bad cop if you can't figure it out." She made sure he knew as he just smiled. He'd never had such close support from someone before, someone whom he cared about. It was nice, and he was definitely starting to get worried at how great things were going, and how much he wanted to keep going with their relationship.

"Do you think we can risk three hours of sleep down to two?" He asked her, pulling her over on top of him as she smiled.

"Is someone waking back up?" She asked, wrapping her hand around his length and stroking him up and down, pressing her lips against his as he kissed back, smiling against the kiss, feeling like he could escape all the stress he was in with her.


	20. Keeping Tabs

**Keeping Tabs**

* * *

"You can lay off things this week since Dean isn't here." Ian said as he passed by Punk at his desk.

"Nah, it's best I keep working." Punk nodded.

"Is it?" Ian asked, "You look like a damn zombie. You sleeping?"

"I'm sleeping." Punk nodded, "It's just a lot think about, you know." He shook his head as Ian nodded, pulling out the chair beside him.

"Phil, I'm not just your boss to tell you what to do, where to go, how to work… I'm here to make sure you're ok. This job… it ain't easy. The amount of health lines I've had to fill in for cops who have been too stressed to work, or depressed, some even traumatised from what they've saw." He said as Punk turned to him, "You're too important to me to lose yourself to a case, I've saw it happen way too many times."

"Hey, I'm fine. Stop saying big works like stress and depression." He warned, "It's my job and I'll deal with it." Punk said.

"I know. You're a stubborn bastard, but I just don't want you to tear your hair out over it. Sometimes we have to let cases go-"

"But we know they're out there, and we know they're obviously watching, sending that shit to Dean in a box." He said, "And if I can just somehow connect Sofia's death to Greg's then maybe I can tie them up somehow." He shook his head.

"You have to keep in mind these two crimes could be completely unrelated. I know you're fixed on them being linked but… you don't know that."

"I know." Punk said, "I'm just keeping my options opened." He said, scribbling down addresses.

"What are you doing right now?" Ian asked him, getting lost in all the paper work around him.

"Well I'm doing some history on this group of loan sharks. No one's got their names and faces but somehow is bound to know something." Punk said, "I got the one in prison's address, he's got a wife, I'm gonna talk to her, surely she'll know the boys names who her husband rolled with-"

"Not to burst your bubble, but you are doing everything the cops did when this case was in present day." Ian said.

"Well then I'll push things further. They just gave up and called it a day. This is a girl's life. A teenager. Have you saw the pictures?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, I have." Ian nodded.

"Saw you saw what happened to her. Fucking scumbags deserve to be dissected slowly." He shook his head, "And I'm not just gonna give up on it because it's all been done before. What'd you always say I'm best at?" Punk asked him.

"Pushing people's fucking buttons." Ian shook his head.

"Well then I'm gonna go push some buttons." Punk nodded.

"You're a crazy bastard." Ian said, watching as Punk stood up and headed on out to leave the station.

* * *

"I didn't know anything about my husband's doings back then." A woman croaked, lighting up her cigarette, folding her leg over the other and puffing on her cigarette in the small living room whilst Punk sat across from her. The place was so dusty and dim he could barely see her, and the smell of smoke was incredibly strong.

"Where did he work?" Punk asked the woman whose name was Teresa.

"I don't know, a factory maybe." She shrugged, puffing on her cigarette and looking over at him, "Here I was thinking the day my husband went to prison would be the day the police stop knocking at my damn door."

"Why haven't you divorced him?" Punk asked curiously.

"We got five kids." Teresa said, "Love is love, ain't it?" She shrugged as Punk just shook her head.

"Ok, so do you remember any guys who your husband was friends with during that time? Even just one name could help us out big time."

"They never came here." Teresa said, throwing her lighter onto the coffee table, dabbing her cigarette over the ash tray and sitting back again comfortably, "Mark made it very clear to keep his business away from his family."

"So you had no idea he was a loan shark?" Punk asked.

"Had a hunch he was up to no good, didn't know the details." Teresa said.

"Has he contacted you ever since he went to prison?" Punk asked her.

"No. He just sees the kids. The little ones anyway." Teresa said, "I told his ass I'd only divorce him if it meant I got some of his money but the son of a bitch doesn't have any." She laughed to herself as Punk just raised a brow and looked down, "What do you want me to say to you, sweetheart? I'd love to give you the answers you want but you're asking silly questions."

"I just wanted to know if you could remember seeing anyone with your husband during that time. Even just a face."

"There was one time I suppose." Teresa said as Punk's ears picked up, "I was at home with the kids, Mark was… out somewhere. These boys came to the door looking for him. One was mad, looked ready to fight." She said, "I heard no names." She shrugged.

"You think they were customers maybe?" Punk asked.

"Maybe." Teresa nodded.

"What did they say?" Punk asked.

"They asked for Mark and I told them he wasn't here. When I told Mark they came to the house he looked ready to explode."

"The boys didn't give their names?" Punk asked.

"Uh… one of them did, I caught the name… Dom maybe, one kept saying." She scratched her forehead as Punk just nodded slowly, not thinking twice about the name.

"Right." Punk nodded, "How many of them were there?"

"Oh, just a few." Teresa said, "They cleared off when they saw Mark wasn't here, they must have found him. The next day that girl was found dead." She nodded as Punk nodded.

"So you're aware it was the guys your husband rolled with that killer her?" Punk asked her.

"Yes, I'm aware." Teresa tutted, "If I had names for you, sweetheart. I'd give you them. You think I'd let a poor girl get raped and murdered and not give the names of the bastards who did it if I knew?" She tutted, "I was kept in the dark." She emphasised, "It told the cops that when they interviewed me back then. I don't know nothing that went on." She made clear as Punk sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, ok." Punk nodded, "Well thanks for your time anyway."

* * *

"So no luck with her?" AJ asked, standing in the grocery store with Punk later that night after he met her from his shift. They hadn't gone on their date yet but had agreed to have dinner together for the first time.

"No, nothing." Punk shook his head, "What the fuck is this?" He picked up a long stick looking thing.

"It's a ginger stick." AJ said, "Stop touching things." She shook her head.

"What the hell do you use this for? Stirring?" Punk asked her seriously as AJ looked at him.

"Have you never been to the grocery store before?" AJ wondered, holding the basket over her arm, taking charge of what ingredients they needed to make burgers.

"I've never been down this isle." Punk told her truthfully.

"Well you obviously lack flavour." AJ laughed as they were down the spices and pulses isle.

"I don't cook much to be fair." Punk nodded truthfully.

"It's showing." AJ smiled at him cutely as he just shrugged, "So this woman gave you nothing?" She asked, walking around the corner into the next isle.

"She said she was in the dark. I mean clearly these group of guys made it very apparent they didn't want anyone to know their names or faces." Punk said, "And it looked like Mark ran the group and stuck his neck out for them." He said, "She did say that one time a group of angry boys came to her door looking for him and then the next night Sofia was found dead. Maybe that triggered it for the group. Didn't you say Sofia's family tried to negotiate and sort things out and that just made the group mad?"

"Yeah, that's why they targeted Sofia." AJ said bluntly.

"Could have been her brother then." Punk nodded, completely forgetting about the name drop, he hadn't even realised that Teresa had mentioned that AJ's brother was there that night.

"Maybe." AJ nodded.

"I feel fucking useless." He admitted.

"Hey, don't do that." AJ said, "If anything you're the one trying to make an effort here. No one has cared about this case for a long time, I don't they cared about it back then either." AJ said, "I appreciate you're so dedicated to it but… give yourself a second to breathe." She said, rubbing his arm softly as he nodded. He was glad he had her to remind him of that.

"Yeah, Ian thinks I'm too stressed." Punk admitted.

"Yeah, maybe I agree." AJ nodded, "Why don't you take a few days off, whilst Dean is away?"

"Nah, I gotta keep pushing forward." Punk said, "The way I see it, if I keep pushing at things, something is bound to show up, right?" He said.

"If you keep telling yourself that." AJ laughed a little, "Which beef looks the best?" She pointed to the butcher section as Punk raised a brow.

"You said we're making burgers." Punk said.

"Yeah." AJ nodded.

"Well that's not burgers." He said.

"I'm not cooking some already made processed shit." AJ said, "My mom would hate you already." She shook her head as Punk just nodded, "We make them from scratch."

* * *

"Mines looks a bit thick." Punk said, later that night, standing in her kitchen as they made burgers. He'd never experienced being so chilled out with a girl and spending so much time. He loved it and never knew something so simple could mean so much, but he supposed he'd never felt this way about a girl before.

"Flatten it out then." AJ laughed at him.

"I want it thick, I think." Punk sized the burger up.

"I'm sure you do." AJ smirked as he smiled. She never thought he'd be the one she'd end up falling for. She always had in her mind her views on him as a typical cop who liked to annoy her, but she really was falling for him. He made her laugh until her stomach ached and she believed she was seeing a side to him that no one else could, and she liked that.

Whilst they were continuing to cook and mess around, AJ heard a knock at her front door and headed off to answer it, "Keep pressing them down on the pan." AJ said, washing her hands and drying them, rushing down the hallway and to the front door, opening it up to see her brother standing.

"Hey, sis." Dominic smiled as AJ pushed a smile and gulped nervously.

"Uh.. hi… what are you doing here?" AJ asked him. They'd gone from only seeing each other once or twice every year, to seeing each other three times in the past few weeks.

"Well with all of this shit going on I thought you could use the company." Dominic said, "Don't get too excited." He laughed sarcastically.

"Well it's not like you live a few hours away or anything… you… I didn't think you had the money for flights." AJ admitted, trying to make sure he couldn't step into the house, not knowing what to do.

"I have money. You know how to make a brother feel unwanted, April. Jeez." Dominic laughed to himself.

"No, it's not that. I just… well I… I have company." She told him as Dominic raised his eyebrows and laughed a little.

"Oh." Dominic nodded, holding the O for a very long time, "Ok, well I can come see you tomorrow then, it's no big deal." He said, "Is it a date? Do you date now?"

"No, it's none of your business." AJ shook her head. She knew if her brother found out she was dating a cop he would go crazy, not because he hated cops but because of what they knew and what they were protecting Sofia's family with in regards to Greg's murder.

"Ok, say no more." Dominic put his hands up, "I'll leave. Have a nice night."

"I'll see you tomorrow." AJ nodded, giving him a hug as he hugged back.

"Ok, love you." He said.

"Love you too." AJ smiled, breaking from the hug, shutting the door over and sighing to herself. Every time she got lost with Phil and let her hair down, shutting everyone out, she was reminded by the fact everything wasn't that simple for them. Nevertheless, she put on a smile and headed back into the kitchen to tell him it was her neighbour asking about something.

Meanwhile Dominic got into the rental car he'd got and took his phone out, dialling a number and raising the phone to his ear, "Hey, Matthew it's me." Dominic said, "I'm good, yeah. I just got here." He nodded, looking around the quiet streets, "Yeah, I'll keep you updated. They're just two cops trying to do their job, you know? I mean, they're trying to find Sofia's killers too, can't be mad at them." He said, "No, I get it." He spoke quietly, "Yeah I'll keep an eye on things, don't you worry about that." He said, "I'll speak soon." He said, hanging up on the phone.

Staying loyal to his friend, he'd agreed to come out to Chicago to keep tabs on things as they were all well aware that two cops were digging at things, including Greg's murder. Little did he know, one out of the two cops was the date his sister was in the midst of having.


	21. The Wrong Girl

**The Wrong Girl**

* * *

"Why are you back here?" AJ asked, the next day sitting across from Dominic in a coffee shop before she headed to work, "And no, I'm not saying that because I'm upset you're here… you've just never been here as much as you have these past few weeks."

"I'm always honest with you." Dominic said, "Matthew asked me to come over and keep an eye on things." He said, lifting his coffee to his mouth and taking a sip as AJ looked at him with confusion.

"Things? What things?" AJ asked him.

"Well everyone is aware that there's two cops poking around trying to find out how Greg died. Matthew wants to be alerted right away if he should be worried." Dominic said.

"Those cops are also trying to figure out how Sofia died, more than anyone else." AJ said, "You can't be mad at them for that-"

"I didn't say I was mad." Dominic told her.

"Matthew should never have killed Greg." AJ shook her head quietly.

"He was angry. I would be too. I mean that guy was holding back information from the cops, information that could have helped find Sofia's killers, maybe even before they killed her." Dominic said, "Matthew is hurt and he's angry."

"I can understand that, but instead of killing him, they could have asked him what he knew, what he saw, which could have lead us to the killers, which is what those cops are trying to do right now." AJ said, "What are you gonna do if they start putting it together or they find something?" AJ asked.

"I'll need to tell Matthew." Dominic said, "I know you work close to the station, you could keep your eyes and ears opened for me." He suggested.

"No, I don't want involved." AJ made clear. She hadn't told her brother that she was lowkey seeing one of the cops who was looking into the case, and she didn't want to because she knew his reaction would be of worry and anger, but she wasn't ashamed of how she felt for finally finding someone who she felt safe and comfortable with. It was just stressing her a little because of the secrets she had to keep from him already.

"I'm not asking you to be involved, just… be aware." Dominic nodded, "Have those cops told you anything about the case?" He wondered.

"Why would they tell me?" AJ played dumb.

"Well because Sofia was your best friend and you're always around the station." Dominic shrugged.

"No, I don't know anything." She said. She figured it'd be best to pretend she was in the dark than start saying things she couldn't take back.

"Well I'm just saying be on alert." Dominic said, "Just means you'll get to see more of me for a few weeks." He smiled to her as she just pushed out a smile and nodded. It couldn't have been worse timing, "Anyway, how did your date go? Was it a date?"

"Uh… yeah it was fine. It was just dinner." She said, not wanting to say much else.

"Are you seeing him again?" Dominic asked her.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "It's just casual right now. Nothing drastic." She emphasised as Dominic nodded.

"Well you deserve a good guy who treats you well." Dominic nodded as AJ just smiled softly. She loved her brother with all her heart, but she couldn't help but feel torn between everyone now upon his arrival. She felt like she was keeping things form everyone and it was getting a little too much for her. She didn't want to hurt anybody.

* * *

Later that day Punk was at work sitting at his desk going through Greg's whereabouts on the run up to his murder to see if he could find anything jumping out at him. He found it strange working on his own and missed Dean's company, but he was glad he was getting a break with his family. God knew they both needed it.

"Getting anywhere?" Ian asked, walking over to Punk's desk.

"No, of course not." Punk replied calmly as Ian smiled, "The guy was just… up and down from work on the lead up to his death." He said, putting his pen down and running his hands through his hair.

"What about the lead up to Sofia's death? Ian asked. I'm not sure if the cops back then had much tabs on him. I think they just interviewed him and that was it." He said.

"It'll be a different car." Punk told him as Ian nodded.

"Of course." Ian said, not realising, "Ok, let me see if I can find out what car he had back then and I'll get back to you." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks." Punk nodded to him as he leaned back on his chair, stretching tiredly and looking back at the computer.

He'd had a great night with AJ. Being with her made him forget about all of works stresses, and clearly he had a lot of them. He liked where they were at. It was new for both of them and they were treating it with care because clearly they were scared of ruining something that felt so good and special, something they'd never had before.

Just as he was thinking about her, she came through the back door, the perks of working around the same area, smiling as she walked down the aisle between all the rows of desks.

They knew they didn't have to hide their relationship by any means, but it was like they were protective of it. They'd been very vocal on the fact they wanted to start dating, even though neither knew what they were doing, but yet kissing hello in such open space still felt like a strange thing to do.

"Hey." AJ smiled to him as she approached him.

"Hey, how are you?" Punk smiled up at her.

"I'm ok. Just finished with a client. What's with this time of the year and robberies?" She shook her head, sitting her bag down on his desk.

"Big case?" Punk asked her. Because she was a defence attorney, he didn't like to get too involved with her work as he felt the need to say things she probably wouldn't like. He knew that most of the people she represented were innocent half the time, but he also knew some of them weren't.

"Not really. Big enough I suppose." AJ nodded, "So my brother is in town for a little while." She told him, sitting down on the chair next to him as he turned back to her, "Just to see how I am." She told him, of course not being able to tell him the real reason.

"Oh." Punk nodded, "Should I be worried?" He teased a little.

"Well I haven't mentioned anything about you." AJ told him, "To be honest I don't really know how to bring it up. My family have always had this perception about police. Being Puerto Rican and moving here… we never had the greatest support."

"I'm not part of a cult or anything." Punk laughed a little, "We all have our own opinions. Things were different back then. I'd never be disrespectful to you and I certainly wouldn't treat you differently because you come from somewhere else."

"I know you wouldn't." AJ smiled. It's why she liked him so much. He was honest and humble, "I'm just not sure what to say to him. He knows I'm not a dater." She looked down at the ground.

"If you're not comfortable telling him then don't tell him." Punk shrugged, "We can continue to keep things on the down low." He nodded.

"I know but I do want to start taking things a little more seriously." AJ nodded. She just secretly wished she wasn't put in such an awkward position. She knew she could do the right thing and tell Punk about what she knew, but she'd only been with him for a short time, and she just couldn't betray her brother and Sofia's family, even if they had done wrong, they were clearly heartbroken and traumatised from their loss still.

"I know." Punk smiled, "We still can. It's not like he's gonna be watching your every move."

"I know but he knows you're working this case." AJ slipped up and groaned.

"Why would that matter?" Punk laughed as she looked up and stared across at him.

"Uh… well it wouldn't, but just… you working on Sofia's case, well he was there too when it happened, he might just think it's weird." She said, covering herself up as Punk just nodded.

"Hey, we can still take this slow, I liked our burger date last night, we can do that a few times until your brother goes back to Puerto Rico, if you're not ready to tell him." Punk nodded as AJ smiled.

"I just don't want you to be in a weird position either. He's rarely over here." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not. You do what you want to do. I'll just go along with whatever." He said as she smiled and nodded.

"Well I had breakfast with him this morning so… you can come over for dinner again. I liked last night." She smiled to him. It wasn't just about having found someone she actually wanted to be in a relationship, it was also the fact she didn't feel as lonely as she did before.

"I'll be there." Punk nodded, "What's on the menu this time?"

"Maybe you could just bring some take out on your way home." She said. She desperately wanted to be affectionate, brush her hand through his air, give him a kiss, but she just didn't want to put themselves in that situation yet. The station was a loud and obnoxious environment, they both agreed they didn't know what the reaction would be like.

"Yeah, cool." Punk nodded, "Hey, what'd you say your brother's name was again?" He asked curiously, having forgotten if she even told him.

"Dominic." AJ smiled as Punk nodded, pausing for a second and looking up at her with an arched brow, "What? Don't like the name?" She teased, standing back up to get ready to go, watching as he scuffled through some notes.

"Does he get called Dom?" Punk asked her.

"By his friends." AJ nodded, "Why?" She asked, worried about what he had to say.

"Well when I spoke to Teresa she said that boys came to her door the night before Sofia was found. She remembered one of their names was Dom. It was your brother, right?" He asked.

"Most likely, yeah." AJ nodded, glad it wasn't anything too crazy, "I told you, him and Sofia's brother were good friends, they went to negotiate with Mark, the guy in prison, and that's what kicked it all off." She said.

"Teresa spoke to me like it was your brother who was the maddest." Punk arched a brow.

"My brother isn't friendly if you're on the wrong side of him." AJ nodded, "He's pretty territorial."

"Maybe I could talk to him… about that night… go into further detail than what the cops did back then?" He raced ahead.

"Phil, the cops asked us everything they needed to, it didn't get us anywhere." AJ reminded him, "Including my brother. And plus, it would put me in a really weird position." She sighed as Punk nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I suppose." Punk nodded, "Everything just seems really… messy." He shook his head.

"I'm worried about you, how much this is affecting you." She said, but mostly she was sad that she couldn't just give him the answers he was so desperately wanting when she had them.

"I'm ok." Punk waved his hand, "It's just annoying." He said.

"I bet." AJ raised her eyebrows, "I should go before people start worrying about us being nice to each other." She looked around at the busy offices as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that is rare." He said, "I'll see you later." He winked as she smiled and nodded, walking off out of the station whilst Punk continued to sit and rack his brain, looking further and further into the case.

* * *

"That didn't exactly go to plan." AJ smiled, shuffling along the kitchen floor on her knees, reaching up for the take-out box with a fork, collapsing back down on the floor against the cupboard, facing Punk who was also sat on the floor. She wore her t-shirt with just her underwear whilst Punk sat in his boxers.

He barely got a chance to step foot in the kitchen with some Chinese food before things escalated quickly on the kitchen table.

"Isn't that cold?" Punk laughed to himself, watching her fold her legs in a basket, eating out of the take-out box. He felt unconditional feelings for her and it scared him how much he cared for her and how much he was falling for her.

"It's ok actually." AJ nodded, "I kinda prefer take-out cold sometimes." She told him.

"You're strange." Punk said, kneeling up and grabbing a box from himself to tuck into. Their nights were special and different. Of course the sex was incredible, but so was before and after, and neither had found themselves feeling this way.

"How is Cami doing?" AJ asked him, sitting directly across from him on the kitchen floor.

"She's doing ok. She calls me almost every night or morning, depending on what days. Said she's really finding herself. Thanks me all the time for being tough with her and putting her there." He nodded, "I still really appreciate what you did for her, I know it kinda made me a hypocrite after all those years of slating you for defending people but… that doesn't mean I don't know how good and dedicated you are to your job." He said as she smiled.

"To be honest, the whole reason I became a defence attorney was to help people like Cami. People who needed help more than punishment." AJ said, "And to help people wrongly accused. My dad, when we first came to the states, he got himself a job in a garage. He was a self-taught mechanic so he just kinda bullshitted his way to the job." She said, "When parts started to go missing in the garage, they blamed him without any reason." She shook her head, "He lost his job and we… started struggling again." She said, "I just hated people so much growing up. I was such a mad kid."

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded. It was weird how similar they were, not necessarily their stories but their outlook on things.

"Why'd you wanna be a cop?" AJ asked him.

"It just seemed like a job with a lot of control, power to make decisions, the right ones of course." He said, "I had a lot of anger as a kid, especially as a teen, going to the academy, going through the training process, really helped me with it, more than sitting at a desk job would have." He said.

"You guys must see a lot of things." AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's never really the easiest job." Punk nodded, "Especially the bigger cases, the more challenging tasks like… going to a house to confirm to a family their relative has been found dead." He shook his head, "Or… listening to a girl describe how she was raped and how she didn't think telling the police would make a difference." He said as AJ frowned, "That shit gets to me, definitely." He nodded, "But there's a balance that comes with it. With having to deal with all of that and then getting rewards out of it. Like helping a family through a crisis, finding the culprits who did something, getting to a scene in time." He nodded.

"Don't forget helping old ladies across the road." AJ smiled.

"That is the most important." Punk smiled.

"You're a good person." AJ nodded, "It shows."

"We all have good and bad sides." He nodded.

"You believe that?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah I don't think any human is destined to be bad." He said.

"What about those guys who killed Sofia?" AJ wondered.

"I said any human." Punk said, "They aren't human." He told her as she nodded and looked down, "And they'll get caught eventually. They'll get what's coming to them."

"You don't know that." AJ said, "They could stay hidden forever."

"Not if I keep poking at things." Punk told her.

"You just need to be careful. I was around back then. People were scared of these guys. Really scared." AJ nodded.

"Yet no one knew their names or faces? That's odd to me." Punk said.

"They didn't show themselves. They kinda reminded me of hit men. Mark was clearly in charge of things. The rest were just ghosts doing his dirty work."

"Well at least he's in prison." Punk nodded, "I like not talking about work with you to be honest." He admitted truthfully. He felt like he could just unwind with her and let go.

"Yeah, me too." She smiled, sitting her box down and crawling over to him, straddling his hips as he smiled, "Want a bit?" She asked, still holding her box of food.

"You're only asking because you want some of mine." Punk said.

"Maybe so." AJ smiled as he nodded, opening his mouth and taking the noodles from her fork, finding it hard to suck them up as AJ laughed to herself.

"I don't think this was as romantic as you thought." Punk said with a mouthful of noodles tilting his head back to try and suck them up as AJ laughed loudly, resting her head against his shoulder as he smiled, both pretending the world didn't exist.

Whilst they were exchanging food, AJ heard a knock at the front door and frowned a little, scared in case it was her brother again.

"If it's Dominic I'm telling him to fuck off." AJ said, annoyed that someone had interrupted them, getting off of him and pulling her sweat pants on whilst Punk just smiled watching her rush off out of the kitchen.

AJ opened up the door and saw that no one was there, suddenly looking down as she saw the cardboard box sitting on her front step. She immediately took a step back and gulped.

"Phil." AJ called worriedly as Punk walked out of the kitchen and down the hall where he saw the front door open with the box sitting. What didn't worry him was that he had no received a warning, but it was the fact it had been delivered to AJ's house.

Punk walked over to the box and crouched down, opening up the lid slowly to find it empty, besides for a photograph sitting in the centre.

He lifted the photograph out and stared at it whilst AJ looked on and shook her head.

"Why… what-" She didn't have words as she looked on at the picture of her and Sofia, both very wrong and very happy.

Punk turned the picture around where a message was written on the back with, "Sorry. We got the wrong girl" on it.


	22. The Truth

**The Truth**

* * *

"These fucking bastards are playing the wrong people." Punk spat, slamming the front door shut, still holding the picture whilst AJ just stood in silence, "Why would they even have this fucking picture?" He asked, shaking his head and walking off into the living room as AJ took a deep breath and placed her hand over her mouth. It was like the sudden realisation of everything coming back to haunt her was coming back, and she desperately wanted to confide in him about it, but she was so conscious about what she could and couldn't say.

She eventually followed after him into the living room where he stood on his phone trying to get through to Ian.

"Phil." AJ said quietly which he didn't hear, continuing to stay on his phone and pace up and down the living room, "Phil, put the phone down." AJ said desperately as Punk looked over at her and slowly put his phone down, hanging up and looking over at her.

He watched as she walked over to him and slowly took the picture from him, looking at it and smiling to herself. They had to have been around sixteen or seventeen. They looked happy and care free and it was simpler times she wished she could have back.

"AJ." Punk said, watching her as she stared at the picture.

"It was supposed to be me." AJ mumbled quietly as Punk stayed quiet and looked at her with confusion, "It was me they wanted. Not her." She said, "They got the wrong girl." She whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Punk walked a little closer to her but she stepped back, which gave him the impression she didn't want him to come any closer.

"It was my family that got in trouble with the guys." AJ said, "My family needed the money." She said, still staring at the picture, "I was supposed to be the target. Me and Sofia, we shifted our plans that night. I was supposed to be going to her house but… I asked her to mine instead." She said, "I assume they were told to look for a dark haired, short Puerto Rican girl… that was her." She said as Punk just shook his head.

"April, what… what are you saying?" Punk said.

"I'm saying… I'm the one who is supposed to be dead. Not her. It was my family who got involved with them. My brother who pissed Mark off when he went looking for him. But they got her instead." She said as Punk sat down on the couch, running his hand through his hair, not understanding how something so messy and mad, could get messier.

"What the fuck?" Punk looked up at her, "So… what this is a threat now?" Punk asked her.

"Maybe it's a warning." AJ said, "Clearly someone is watching us." She shook her head. Her head was spinning. She wanted to tell him everything. It felt so easy opening up to him. He made her feel safe and like she could say anything to him, but she had to remind herself he was a police officer at the end of the day. She just didn't know how long she could keep things up in her head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Punk shook his head.

"It's not important. At the end of the day she died." AJ said, "Doesn't matter who was supposed to… we're here now and what happened… happened to her." She said, "What was supposed to happen, isn't relevant." She said.

"Well clearly it is." Punk said, nodding to the picture, "Wait a minute…" Punk stood up and took the picture from her, looking at the message, "The wrong girl." He repeated, "That's what Helen, Greg's upstairs neighbour said she heard the people say when there was noise in Greg's apartment." He said, "This… I knew they were connected." Punk shook his head, "I gotta call Dean."

"Dean on his vacation with his family." AJ sighed.

"Well Ian then. I gotta tell someone." Punk nodded as AJ watched him. She knew that once he knew the two crimes were connected, he'd no doubt find out what happened to Greg, so she figured she'd tell him the truth. That was her excuse just to get it off her chest now. To finally be honest with him.

"Phil, I need to tell you something." She nodded to him as he looked down at her, "I-I know who killed Greg." She nodded as Punk just stared at her like she was headless, "It was Matthew. Sofia's brother. He found out that Greg saw Sofia that night get taken by the guys. He never said anything. Sofia's family have been digging at her case the entire time and when they came across the fact someone saw her get taken and didn't say a thing about it… they got mad." She said, "Matthew came over, I'm not sure if the intention was to kill or if it was just to beat… but… that's how he died." She said as Punk just stared at her, his stare turning into a glare as he looked down at her.

"You knew all this time?" Punk asked her quietly.

"I couldn't do that to Sofia's family. My brother, he tried to go after Matthew that night, he feels responsible for Sofia's death in the first place, but it was too late." AJ said, "Now he's here trying to make sure that you don't know what I've just told you." She said.

"You knew all along? You tried to persuade me they weren't even linked together." Punk shook his head, feeling a stab in his back, even though deep down he knew she didn't mean to hurt him.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you. It was never anything to do with you. I just wanted to protect her family. They're so lost. Especially her brother." AJ said.

"He's a fucking murderer, April. You knew all along and you just let me ramble on." Punk shook his head, backing away from her a little.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner." AJ shook her head, "It was never my intention to hurt you." She said, desperate for him to believe that.

"You're exactly what everyone says you are." Punk shook his head. He couldn't believe she knew all this time whilst he almost lost his mind trying to put it together. He felt like an idiot, and he felt like she'd played him along like an idiot.

"No… no, please don't do that. Don't let us suffer because of this." She said, starting to be reminded why she didn't get close to people.

"Us?" Punk chuckled, "There is no fucking us. I could arrest you right here, right now… I should arrest you for what you've just told me."

"I'm just asking you to think about it. Think about if it was Cami." She said.

"Don't fucking go there." Punk warned her.

"That's how Matthew feels. I know you're just doing your job, but I just wanted to help my best friends family. I just wanted to protect them for her, I owe her that." AJ shook her head.

"You think I'm not gonna arrest his ass? He murdered someone." Punk said, not understanding how she could see past it. He supposed he didn't know the family like she did, and of course the case was an emotional thing for her, but he couldn't just bypass it, especially not after she had lied to him about it all this time.

"He's not in a good place. They never have been." AJ said. A part of her felt relieved that he knew and she didn't have to hide anymore, but the look on his face terrified her.

"So it's ok to go kill someone then?" Punk asked her, "Well of course you think it is." He said, walking away from her and into the kitchen to put his clothes back on as AJ followed him.

"Phil, please… I was just… I was trying to do the right thing for Sofia." AJ sighed.

"She's dead, April." Punk reminded her, "There is no right or wrong thing for her. She's not here." He said coldly as AJ glared at him.

"You can be mean to me for this all you want, but I will be mean back." She warned him.

"You're just mean anyway." Punk said, "Seriously, everyone thinks it. Everyone talks about you." He told her as AJ looked at him, "The cops, detectives, Joan, even the fucking cleaners." He said, "They feel sorry for you actually." He nodded, buttoning up his shirt as AJ glared up at him.

"So this is what happens when you piss off Phil Brooks. He makes you feel this much big." AJ said, measuring a small amount of thin air between her thumb and forefinger.

"I'm not gonna be lied to." Punk made clear, "Certainly not about this case which you know fine well I've been working on tirelessly." He said, "And you're still finding a way to defend yourself." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you. I… I still didn't know where this was going with us. I didn't know if I could trust you but I do… I trust you, I trust you know that I would never try and hurt you by keeping this from you. It's not a game." She said.

"You're right. It's not a game." Punk said, grabbing his gun from the kitchen table and attaching it to his hip as AJ watched.

"I was just trying to do right by Sofia's family. They've had it so rough. Losing Sofia the way they did. Matthew… he's never been the same. He found out that someone could have prevented his sister from dying but didn't, so yeah, he got mad about it." AJ nodded, "I don't blame him."

"He still killed someone, April." Punk shook his head, "That has to be dealt with."

"Think about what they're going through." AJ shook her head, "You don't realise how bad it was." She said.

"I do. I've been reading about it like it's my bible for weeks. I know it was bad and I'm not saying if I was in Matthew's position I wouldn't do something similar, but it's still a crime, whether he was losing himself or not." Punk said, "And you kept it from me all this time."

"Phil, I'm sorry I didn't have the choice. We've only just started getting together. I wasn't sure what you'd do. I told you tonight because I trust you and I don't normally trust people."

"Well I don't trust you." Punk told her bluntly. It all made clear sense now of what had happened. The only missing piece to the puzzle was Sofia's killers, the rest all made sense finally and for Punk it did seem like a relief to know what happened, but he was devastated that AJ hadn't told him sooner and felt betrayed. He could see she was trying to do right by her very clearly missed friend, but he couldn't excuse her.

"What are you going to do?" AJ asked him.

"We need to find these people who killed Sofia." Punk told her, "And you need to stay the hell away from me."

"Phil." AJ shook her head, "Please." She walked over to him as he quickly walked around her and headed for the door, "What about Matthew? Are you going to arrest him?" She asked desperately but he didn't reply, "Phil, please talk to me." She begged, but he quickly walked out of the house and slammed the door shut behind him.

She placed her hands on her forehead, kicking the cardboard box against the bottom of the stairs angrily, reminded of why she found it hard to get close to people, but even more reminded by the fact she truly cared about him and didn't want things to end up this way.

* * *

 **A/N: Glad you guys are enjoying! It's all kicking off. Let me know what you think!**


	23. Pushed Away

**Pushed Away**

* * *

AJ didn't know what to do with herself all night. She didn't know whether she regretted telling Punk the truth or not. One the one hand, she felt super relieved that she didn't have to lie to him anymore, but on the other hand, she felt terrible for giving up Sofia's brother. She knew her own brother would be angry. She didn't expect Punk not to take action. He was a cop. She'd told him some very valuable information and she was glad she could finally piece it all together for him. She was just upset that she looked like a liar who didn't care about him.

She barely slept and got up to get ready as soon as she could. She then headed off to the station, immediately walking into the back offices to look for Punk. She wanted to talk to him. What she had done didn't have any reflections on her feelings for him. She was still head over heels for him and the fact she might have jeopardised something good with him was making her worried.

She looked around his desk but he wasn't there, and so stuck her head into Ian's office to find out if he was out somewhere.

"What can I do for you, April?" Ian looked up from his computer.

"I'm looking for Phil. Do you know where he is?" AJ asked him.

"He's taking the day off. He called me earlier." Ian said, "I think he's done in with all of this work on the two cases, and with Dean not around to encourage him." He said as AJ nodded slowly, "I told him to take a few days if he wanted to but he just said one day is enough."

"Oh. Ok." AJ nodded. She assumed Punk would have gone straight to the station to start taking action right away, but she couldn't predict where his head was at.

"Do you want me to leave him a message?" Ian asked her.

"Oh, no. It was nothing urgent. Just to do with a client." AJ nodded, "I'll get him when he's back in." She assured him calmly.

"Ok, no problem." Ian said as AJ left the office and headed on back to the reception area.

Knowing he was angry at her was the thing that most annoyed her, and to her she knew that was a sign that she really did care about him. She just wanted him to understand why she kept it from him. Why she felt the need to protect Sofia even if she wasn't around. The whole thing was still something so hard to face, and the idea of facing it with him instead of against him was so much better to think about.

* * *

AJ knew she had to go about her normal day, and so done some work with a client and met with a few detectives about a case she was representing. On her way home, she couldn't stop herself however, and pulled up at Punk's house.

She didn't take the nasty things he said to her to heart because she could see he was just angry that he had been lied to. She assumed he probably felt like an idiot.

She knocked on his door and waited on an answer, eventually looking up as he answered, standing in some shorts and t-shirt, looking like he too hadn't slept all night.

"What?" Punk shook his head. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her, or anyone for that matter, but he knew she was the only person who could fight his stubbornness with her own.

"Let me in. I want to talk to you." AJ said desperately as Punk looked at her.

"I can't be bothered talking to you." Punk told her bluntly.

"Let me just explain. Please, give me that chance at least." She nodded as Punk stared at her. The annoying thing for him was his feelings for her hadn't went anywhere. He automatically thought because of this that his opinions of her would change but he still felt that tight feeling in his stomach when he saw her, and still couldn't stop thinking of her.

"Ok." Punk nodded, opening up the door and letting her in as she walked on into his house.

The reason he stayed at home all day was because he couldn't face work. He couldn't face knowing what he knew and not knowing what to do about it. Of course he knew the right thing to do was to arrest Matthew, but the foolish 'in the process of' being in love with AJ part of brain didn't want to do that.

"Why didn't you go to work?" AJ asked him, too nervous to sit down as she stood across from him in the living room.

"I needed the day off." Punk told her, "And I couldn't walk into that station knowing what I know." He said. He didn't appreciate the position he was now in.

"Do you… know what you're going to do?" AJ asked him carefully.

"Is that just why you're here? To see if I'm gonna arrest your friends or not?" Punk asked her.

"They aren't my friends." AJ said, "No, I came to apologise and explain why I kept it from you. It's not like… it's not like we've been married for five years." She laughed a little, "I didn't know what to do. I… I feel responsible for Sofia's death. Ok? Now whether you think that's just stupid, just respect the fact that that's how I feel. I was the one who was supposed to die the way she did because it was my family who got involved with those bad people. Sofia didn't do a thing and she got caught in it." AJ said, "Her family have been broken, searching for answers because the cops refused to, so when her brother found out about Greg, he just lost it. You'd do the same for Cami, my brother would do the same for me. It's a family thing." AJ said, "So Dominic told me what happened and my first thoughts were… what would Sofia want if she was here, and I'm pretty sure she wuoldn't have wanted her brother in prison. So I kept it, and I didn't tell you because we were only just starting out on… whatever it is we're doing." She said, "And I told you because I actually do care about you and your feelings-"

"You told me because that picture came in and you didn't have the choice." Punk shook his head.

"No." AJ shook her head.

"Look, April. Not once do I think you've had it easy with all of this. I mean, just the fact that it was you who was supposed to be the target for this, it terrifies me so I don't know how it makes you feel." He said, "And I appreciate loyalty, and family, I get it all… but why get with me, why get so close to me, make me trust you, just to tell me something like that?"

"I got with you because I like you. I wouldn't just do this with any person. I'm not like that, you know that." She said, "And I told you because I just wanted to do right by you." She said.

"So your brother or Matthew doesn't know that I know?" Punk asked her.

"No." AJ said, "I… If I told Matthew he would start running and I know that would just cause more troubles. If I told Dominic he would… we would have a very heated argument in Spanish." AJ told him.

"So you're just waiting on me to go arrest him?" Punk asked her.

"If that's what you need to do." AJ nodded, "I didn't want it to come between us."

"Well it has." Punk nodded, sitting down on the couch, "And you know what, it always will. Our jobs, their so different, you're gonna know things that I don't, and I'm gonna know things that you don't… and that's not gonna work." He shook his head.

"Phil, don't say that." AJ shook her head. She didn't want it to come to this.

"Well it's true." Punk said.

"You don't get to just… be this person in my life finally that I can… be with and not feel scared or insecure about who I am, and then walk right out." AJ shook her head.

"I care about you too, you know." Punk looked up at her.

"Then why are we doing this?" AJ asked, "You know how terrified I am of these men? All this time I've always thought, one day they're gonna come back for me. I was their target all along." She said, "And then we got together, and you made me feel safe." She said as Punk just looked down at the ground.

"I wouldn't take away anything from what you've been through with your friend, and yourself personally. I'm a sympathising person-"

"I don't want your sympathy." AJ made clear, "I just want us to be ok and to work through this. I mean we could really get Sofia's killers. Clearly they're around with these boxes they're sending."

"We?" Punk shook his head, "Last time I checked you weren't a cop."

"I can still help." AJ said, "Please don't push me away."

"I'm not pushing you away, April. You done that on your own." He shook his head, "I know you're loyal with family values, I can appreciate that, but you've put me in this position where if I don't arrest Matthew, I could lose my job, I could go to prison actually, we all could, but if I do arrest him, I feel like I'm stabbing you in the back, and I don't wanna do that."

"I told you, you do what you have to do." AJ nodded, "I'm not asking you to not do your job just for me."

"Yeah well you didn't have to ask." Punk shook his head.

"Can't we figure something out together?" AJ asked him. She didn't want to lose him. He felt like something she'd been waiting on for so long. Someone she felt safe with, someone who made her feel special and worth something, and somehow it already felt like it had fell apart, "Maybe I just… shouldn't get close to people." She nodded to herself.

"Yeah maybe I shouldn't either." Punk nodded in agreement. He felt the same as her. A part of him felt relieved that he had answers and that it made some sense to him now, but now he faced the hard decision of what action he was actually going to take, and who it was going to affect. Of course he cared about AJ and her feelings, and obviously her safety.

"So what… we come up at this hurdle and we just decide to go our separate ways?" AJ asked him.

"I wouldn't call it a hurdle, April. It's bombshell." He said, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." He shook his head.

"Well then let me help you-"

"With what?" Punk asked.

"Finding Sofia's killers. If we get them, maybe no one would be as worried about Greg's killers, or maybe we could say it was Sofia's killers that killed him-"

"So you want me to completely bypass the truth?" Punk asked her.

"I'm asking you to think about it, yeah." AJ nodded, "I'm scared too you know." AJ emphasised, "Those bastards are watching me, sending me pictures threatening me. The whole thing is fucked up, we've established that." She said.

"I just need a few days to myself." Punk told her.

"So you just wanna ignore it?" AJ asked as he stood up.

"I'm not ignoring it, AJ. I need time to figure out what the fuck I'm gonna do about it." Punk told her.

"And what about us?" AJ asked, she understood that he needed some time alone to figure out the case and what he was going to do about it, she knew it was a reach for her to wonder if he would ignore what she had told him for some time.

"What about us?" Punk shrugged, "It's not working. Clearly. I'd rather be indicated of that early before things did get serious." He nodded as AJ looked at him.

"You mean that?" AJ asked him, upset by what he was trying to say, "You wanna break up?"

"Were we together?" Punk asked her.

"You can be mad at me for what I did, but don't treat me like a piece of shit." She shook her head as he put his hands on his hips, "I care about you."

"It's not working." Punk told her. He was in the frame of mind where he believed they couldn't work because of what was going on, of course he still cared about her, he was mad about her and desperately wanted to kiss her standing there right now, but he had to think about what was best.

"So… we just ignore each other then? Forget what happened… forget we actually got on, more than I've ever got on with a guy before?" AJ asked.

"I think it's for the best." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna have a cop outside your house for the next few weeks. After the picture being sent, someone will probably be told to come out anyway. It's being treated as a threat." He said. He was still very worried about her safety. He still cared about her. No feelings had changed and that's what he was most shocked at. So to push her away even confused him.

"Here I was thinking it would be me pushing you away." AJ said, realising he had the exact same problems as her. He didn't want to deal with a problem, he just pushed it away, in this case, her.

"I'm not pushing you away. I'm saying it's not working and we should be realistic now."

"Fine." AJ nodded, "I'll stay away from you then." She said, walking off and out of his house, closing the door behind her, trying to keep her tears at bay until she got in the car and let them go.


	24. Time Apart

**Time Apart**

* * *

"Yeah, I'm here to visit." Punk nodded, standing at the front desk of the rehabilitation centre which Cami was in, "My sister." Punk said.

"What's her name?" The lady at the desk asked pleasantly.

"Camila Brooks." Punk said as the woman nodded.

"Camila should be in the lounge right now but she normally spends that time in the garden. I'll help you find her if you like, this place can seem big to people visiting." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Punk nodded, watching the woman come out from behind the desk, following her through the centre through all the different rooms, eventually being led outside to the garden area where he spotted Cami sitting on a bench reading a book, "Thank you." Punk smiled as the woman nodded and headed back inside.

He walked up the cobbled path, watching Cami look up at the sudden noise and immediately smile.

"Oh my God, hey." Cami smiled, putting her book down and standing up, giving her brother a hug as he hugged her back tightly.

"Hey, how are you?" Punk asked her, pulling back from the hug.

"I'm good. You never even said you were coming." Cami said.

"Thought I'd surprise you." Punk smiled, sitting down on the bench with her, "You're looking good, Cam." Punk nodded. She didn't look as ill as she did when he dropped her off. At that point, she was at her lowest. She was a funny yellow colour, rail thin with knots in her hair. She already looked so much brighter and better.

"Really? I think I look like shit." Cami laughed to herself, examining her grey sweats and hoodie, "I suppose my hair is washed, but it's only because they make me." She teased as Punk smiled, "You're not usually off during the day. You working night?" She assumed.

"No, actually. I've took a few days off." Punk told her.

"Why? What's happened?" She asked worriedly. She knew her brother enough to know the world would have to be falling down around him for him to not make it into work.

"Nothing." Punk shook his head, "Just… a lot going on, that's all." He nodded.

"You still working on those cases?" Cami asked him.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"And how is that working out for you?" Cami asked him.

"Not good." Punk laughed a little, "Torn between… doing the right thing and trying to understand a little better."

"Sounds like being a drug addict." Cami smiled as Punk nodded, "You know something you aren't supposed to?" She asked. She wasn't dumb. She was young but she could see and tell by what he was saying that he'd found out something which troubled him.

"I guess you could say that." Punk nodded.

"So why can't you do the right thing?" Cami asked him, "What are your reasons for and against?"

"I don't wanna hurt anybody." He shook his head, of course thinking about AJ, "But I'm a cop, I can't… just ignore things." He sighed.

"Who would you be hurting?" Cami asked him curiously as he groaned a little.

"You like gossip, don't you?" He asked her.

"Live for it." Cami nodded, "Go on." She sat up a little straighter.

"I've been seeing AJ for a little bit." Punk nodded.

"Attorney AJ?" Cami questioned with raised brows.

"Mhm." Punk nodded, "It was her best friend, the girl who was murdered. You don't need the details but… whatever actions I take, I don't want it to hurt her." He said.

"How long have you been seeing her?" Cami shook her head, more interested in the fact her brother was actually seeing a girl consistently.

"Not long." Punk assured her, "Long enough to know I care about her, and her feelings." He nodded, "But we've broke it off, it's way too complicated with our jobs, I mean this is a clear example why we just can't work."

"Are you using that as an excuse?" Cami asked, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her cheek on her kneecaps, her face turned to look at him, "You don't normally get along with girls." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that." Punk said.

"So… why her?" Cami asked.

"I don't know. She's just different." He shook his head, "I still care about her, I just don't think it's gonna work."

"Forget about the cases, forget about work, being a cop, her being an attorney… if you push all that away, would it work?" Cami asked him.

"Yeah, I mean probably." Punk nodded.

"Then you just gotta work a little harder at it." Cami said, "I think she's great. Little scary but… great. You need someone who will tell you to shut up, no offence, if there's gonna be anyone to do that… it's her." Cami nodded.

"I know that. Look, we get on like a house on a fire." Punk said, "But this case, what's going on, it's coming between us."

"Because you're letting it." Cami said, "Sort it out. Don't just… look at it as a problem and back away from it. Fix the problem and work it out. If she's worth it. If she's not then… do what you want." She shrugged.

"Since when did you become good with advice?" Punk chuckled a little.

"I'm not high or drunk." Cami shrugged, "I speak sense when I'm sober."

"Yeah, you do." Punk nodded, "How is it in here?" He asked her.

"It's ok." Cami nodded, "I have good and bad days I suppose but it's a nice place. I like it out here." She nodded, looking around the garden.

"Yeah, it's nice." Punk nodded, "What do you get up to?"

"Well we get a lot free time. We can come out here or go into the lounge or… take up activities. Then we get therapy, tasks and seminars on how evil drugs are." She smiled as Punk nodded.

"You met any friends?" Punk asked her.

"It's not school." Cami laughed.

"I know but obviously you talk to people." Punk said.

"Yeah there's a few people I talk to but… I like to keep myself to myself." She said as Punk nodded, "What are you gonna do about AJ?" She asked. She could read between the lines and see that there was an issue within the case Punk was working regarding AJ, but she didn't believe that should have broken them up. She was happy her brother had found someone he actually cared about and would have liked to see him pursue it further.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head.

"I hope it works out for you, whatever happens." Cami nodded, "Just… remember your job isn't everything." She said.

"I know." Punk nodded, running his hand over his face.

"Do you wanna come see my room? You'll love the posters I put up." She smiled, standing up from the bench as he nodded, getting up and following her back into the facility.

* * *

AJ had spent the past few days quietly going about her work. She hadn't even saw Punk around the office and supposed he'd taken those few days off which Ian had offered him. She didn't blame him after the decision she'd left in his hands.

She was just upset that he couldn't see past it all to try and work it out and get through it together. She knew she couldn't expect that of him, but she felt really hurt and broken by him calling everything off, and she missed him terribly. She definitely knew this was the reason she didn't get close to people, because missing the hurt so bad.

She fell into bad habits and tried to pretend she was over him by inviting one of the investigators home with her. If he had called it off, she figured she get back into the way she used to function before him, otherwise she knew she'd sit around thinking about him, and she didn't want that for her health.

But whilst at first she was eager to take her clothes off and forget about things for a little while, whilst he was thrusting in and out of her, she was beginning to feel nothing. She wasn't turned on and the more time went by, the more she thought about Phil.

"Get off." AJ said quietly, but clearly he never heard her and continued going, "I said get the fuck off of me!" AJ yelled angrily as the man shook his head, "Get off." She nodded as he pulled out of her.

"What the fuck?" The guy shook his head.

"Just get out." AJ told him.

"You are joking me, right?" He said, "You're not going to let me finish?"

"Do I look like a disposable box?" AJ spat, "Go into the bathroom and then leave." She told him bluntly, holding the sheets to herself and leaning against the headboard.

"You're a fucking idiot." The man grumbled, grabbing his clothes and walking on into the bathroom as AJ placed her hand on her forehead, reaching over for her clothes, shimmying her shorts and t-shirt on.

She waited on the guy coming out of the bathroom, but she was pulled away when she heard a knock at the door. She ran downstairs, expecting it to be Dominic who had been leering about uncomfortably for the past few days, opening the door up and gulping as she saw Punk standing.

"Phil." AJ shook her head.

"Hi." Punk nodded, "I uh… I was just… I know it's weird, I was just wondering if I could ask you some questions about Greg's murder, if you knew anything else or-" He paused as he heard footsteps coming down her stairs, watching as one of the investigators from the station appeared, buttoning his shirt back up as AJ leaned her forehead against the side of the door and sighed.

"Brooks. How you doin?" The guy nodded casually as Punk looked at him and then back to AJ.

"Fine." Punk replied, watching as the guy brushed by him and down the stairs, heading to his car as AJ looked at Punk, feeling awful, "Ok, I uh… I got the message." Punk smiled to her.

"No, Phil… I… I can talk about the murder, I… I don't know much about it but-" She pleaded desperately to talk to him, wishing he hadn't saw what had happened, "I told him to leave. I… I've just been thinking about you." She told him truthfully.

"That doesn't make me feel better." Punk assured her.

"You broke it off with me." AJ shook her head, "I know this is confusing us but if we could just… put all of it aside and talk… we could figure this out together."

"Nah, you've done all your talking." Punk nodded, "Tell Matthew he should start running." He said as AJ looked at him with deflation, "And don't come near me ever again." He warned her.

He thought he'd give it a try. He thought he would go see her, talk to her about Matthew, try and figure a way around it, but seeing her having already spent a night with someone else, or attempt to really done it for him. He understood they weren't exactly together but he thought more of her than that. But if anything, it really confirmed how much he cared for her, because the thought of someone else with her made him feel anger he'd never felt before, and he knew it'd be best to remove himself from the situation before he said anything he couldn't take back.

"Phil." AJ sighed, feeling her eyes fill up, "This is a mess, I know but I do care about you and I want to help you with this."

"Help me by staying away." Punk said, turning around and walking back away from her house as she watched him get into his car and drive off, closing her door over and crying to herself, feeling herself an unstable mess for the first time in so long, and she knew it was because she'd exposed her feelings in the open. She wished she never had now.


	25. Official

**Official**

* * *

"No, wait a minute." AJ shook her head, bursting into Punk's house, refusing to knock or meet any standards that she thought she had. She wasn't prepared to let this fall apart and crumble and for her to be the bad guy. She knew she wasn't.

"Don't just come into my house." Punk shook his head, standing in his living room.

"Or what?" AJ shook her head, "What are you gonna do? Arrest me?" AJ asked him.

"Funny." Punk nodded sarcastically.

"You called this off." AJ reminded him, "So don't look at me like I'm a piece of shit for… for sleeping with someone else. I was trying to pretend that everything was fine, that I could get over you and move on, like you want to." She said, "So don't come to my house and look down on me like that." She made clear, "Besides, I told him to leave, nothing was… happening for me." She said, "What did you think I was gonna do? Wait around on you changing your mind back and forth?" She asked him.

"I don't know I just didn't expect you to move on so quickly." Punk said.

"I've not moved on. I was trying to because you… you told me to stay away, and then you show up at my house looking to chat? You're messing me around, Phil. And I don't know if that's your intention, but I'm telling you right now to quit it." She said.

"I'm messing you around?" Punk laughed.

"Yeah. You are." AJ said, "I know what's happened is shit on you. I've put you in a bad position, I respect that and I don't expect you to just forget it and carry on with things with me." She said, "But don't tell me we're done, don't tell me to stay away, and then give me into trouble, look at me like I'm cheap for doing what you told me to."

"I didn't tell you to sleep with anyone." Punk said.

"Well I attempted to, so I could forget about all of this shit. Men aren't the only ones who can get away with one night stands, ok?" She emphasised, "I can let you be mad at me but I want you to remember that I chose to tell you, eventually. I could have… kept going on, keeping it from you, but I chose to tell you because I care about you and I trust you." She said, "And I just want things to be ok. Like how they were… they were so good. We were so good. And I know you know it." She said.

"You can do what you want. I wasn't giving you into trouble, I just didn't expect it-"

"You're jealous." AJ pointed out.

"No I'm not." Punk scoffed.

"You are." AJ said, "You totally are. You don't want anyone else to be with me, but… you don't wanna be with me either?"

"I never said I didn't wanna be with you, April." Punk said.

"Well your actions and words say differently." AJ said, "I wasn't the one who committed the actual crime. I'm not in the wrong here. I told you. Maybe it wasn't right away, but I eventually told you. So why can't we just figure this out together?"

"What is there to figure out?" Punk shook his head.

"This whole thing. This case." AJ said.

"That would mean me arresting Matthew." Punk reminded her, "And I know that would hurt you, so do you honestly think that I'm gonna go do it? This is the situation you have me in."

"This isn't my fault!" AJ shouted, "I didn't ask for any of this. I'm the one who gets to be.. angry and pissed off that someone murdered my best friend, men who… who actually set out to get me. I still don't know if one day they're gonna show up and hurt me like they hurt her… that scares me." She said, "You're not the only one who feels helpless and confused and hurt." AJ reminded him as he listened to her. He always knew she would speak her mind, and like Cami had said, she wasn't afraid to tell him to shut up, and he could respect that.

"It's been a long few days." Punk nodded, running his hand over his face.

"I don't care. We're talking about this." AJ warned him, "I don't let my hair down with anyone. I've never trusted anyone in my life. I don't let people get close to me because of things like this." She said, "But I thought you were different, you made me want to… try being human again, having feelings, and it was so nice. If I didn't care about you I wouldn't have told you what I knew." She said.

"I think you're missing the fact that I feel the same about you, April. I care about you. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do here." He said, "I really don't."

"Then just let me help you, Phil." AJ shook her head, "We can figure something out." She said, walking closer to him and taking his hands in hers, "This doesn't have to come between us." She shook her head.

"It is between us." Punk said.

"You told me to tell Matthew to start running. Have you already told someone?" AJ asked.

"No. I was just… mad." Punk said, "Look, I get it, April. I understand why the guy did what he did, why he killed Greg. You're right, I'd feel the same if it was Cami who I was defending. But I can't just turn a blind eye to it."

"If we found Sofia's killers, there'd be an easy way to put the blame on them. I know these things. It happens all the time. Putting more load on bad people makes it convincing." She said.

"How do you expect me to find her killers?" Punk asked.

"Well they're clearly around." AJ said, "The picture they sent. Could run it in the lab for fingerprints." She said, "Look, you're gonna do what you want to do, that's fine, it's your decision, but… if we focus more on Sofia's killers, it might not be in your head as much."

"It's always gonna be in my head." Punk sighed, "And I mean what I said, we're not gonna work like this, April. Our jobs… they're gonna clash, our opinions." He said.

"What does work have to do with us? When we're together none of that matters. You know that. I know you feel it." She said as he nodded.

"I do, but… I'd rather end it now before things get serious, instead of… down the line." He said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You're just afraid." She nodded, "I am too. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know what anything means anymore but what I did know for sure was that I felt like everything was going to be fine when I was with you." She said as he sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was jealous of her getting with someone else, that's why he acted the way he did, not because he thought she was cheap or unentitled to sleeping with someone else, he just didn't like the thought of it when he was still so hung up on her.

He didn't know what to say to her. He was so conflicted and confused, but he did know for sure that he cared about her and her health and safety. He just didn't know if telling her that would have been the best idea. He was protective of his feelings. They'd never been exposed like this before.

"I'm not gonna say anything about Matthew. To anyone." Punk nodded to her as AJ looked up at him, "And I'm gonna try and focus more on Sofia's killers and getting them." He said quietly as she nodded.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "And what about us?" She asked, "You still want to pretend it never even happened?" She asked him. She appreciated it wasn't easy for him, and she also appreciated that he wasn't doing anything rational, she knew in his job, it was a lot for him to not take action when needed, and for that, she knew he still cared about her, and she desperately just wanted to hug and make up, but the look on his face told her otherwise.

"I just think we should… stay away from each other." Punk said, "I don't think we're good for each other." He said as AJ just stared up at him.

"I have never… clicked with anyone like I did with you." AJ said, "And I know you feel the same." She said, "Why can't you let me in anymore? Why can't we do this together?"

"Because you shouldn't be around it." Punk shook his head, "We should just go back to our normal lives. Let me focus on this case and you… focus on your own work. The more you hang around me, the more those bastards out there will wanna hurt you?"

"Well if it brings them out of the woodwork-"

"No. You're not gonna play bait." He said, "I think we should just go our separate ways." He said. Even though, of course he didn't. He was trying to be logical with everything going on. Of course he cared about her.

"Ok." AJ nodded. If he wanted to give up, she wasn't going to fight about it, "I'll go fuck who I want then." She nodded, of course angry and to spite him.

"Do what you want." Punk nodded, pretending he didn't care even though his blood was sizzling.

"I thought _I_ was hard to figure out." She shook her head, "But you are… on a different level."

"It's what's best for both of us." He told her.

"If you think so." AJ nodded, "Just remember… you're the one who made this decision." She said.

"I know." Punk nodded, "You should leave now."

"I'm going." AJ said bluntly, backing away from him and leaving out of the door, slamming the door shut behind her and shaking her head. She wished she never even let herself go there with him, because now she felt that hollow pain of emptiness in her chest and she hated it.

She walked on out to her car, getting in behind the wheel, staring the engine when she saw something stuck to her window wipers. She rolled her eyes and got out of the car, not in the mood, walking around to the side by the window, pausing as she looked at the picture.

She pulled the glossy photograph from the wipers attacked to the window. It was the same photograph as the first one of her and Sofia, and her body immediately went cold as she glanced around her in the dark street.

She then turned the photograph over and looked at the back which had 'Keep digging. We'll make it right this time' on the back of it. She took a deep breath and turned back to Punk's house. She desperately wanted to show him, seek comfort in him, but he'd made how he felt very clear and so she got back in her car and tossed the picture onto the seat beside her before driving off.


	26. Game Changed

**Game Changed**

* * *

Over the next few days, Punk had returned back to the station and had kept quiet about everything he knew. He missed AJ. He missed waking up with her. Her smile. Her laugh. Everything about her.

He had decided not to take action against Matthew, he tried to see things from a more human point of view than a cop following the rules. He agreed that Matthew had a right to feel the way he did, but murder was still murder. He told himself he would focus more on Sofia's killers and catching them. After all, they were the whole reason everything had happened.

Dean had come back from his holiday and all Punk had told him was about the picture that AJ was sent with the message on it and that she was supposed to be the target. He didn't mention anything about Matthew or the fact he had been seeing AJ. He was jealous of recharged Dean looked.

"Any fingerprints come back on the picture?" Dean asked, walking over to Punk at his desk who shook his head.

"No, nothing." Punk shook his head, "I mean these are clearly not stupid guys. They'd wear gloves or something." He said as Dean nodded in agreement.

Punk found it hard having to lie to his best friend about this case they'd been so feverishly working on, but he knew Dean wouldn't keep quiet about it. He wished he could have just drove to AJ's and spoke to her. He felt regret for telling her to stay away, but he was trying to be logical and realistic for them both.

"You ask around the streets? Her neighbours? See if they saw anything?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah. No one saw a thing. I swear they are fucking ghosts." Punk shook his head.

"You think it's just another warning or is it a threat to AJ?" Dean asked, taking a seat, "Why would they send her a warning? It's not her that's looking into the case." He shook his head as Punk nodded, even though he knew why she was sent the warning, because someone knew they were getting together and was using her to get to him. It was just convenient she played a big part in the case.

"I think it's a threat. I've got cops changing over sitting outside her house until this blows over." Punk said, "Just to be sure nothing happens." He said.

"Is she spooked?" Dean asked.

"I've not… really spoke to her." Punk played it cool as Dean just nodded, "Anyway, you haven't even told me how your vacation was?"

"It was so good." Dean nodded happily, "I fucking needed it. Just peace and quiet." He said, "It's hard to have family time working this job so it was nice to get that too." He nodded.

"That's good, man." Punk nodded, "I did take a few days off earlier in the week. I went and visited Cami. Just took a breather I guess." He said.

"Yeah, this shit is heavy." Dean said, "It's unhealthy staring at it for too long." He told him, "Has Ian said any more about dropping the cases?"

"No, he's been ok actually." Punk said, "I think he knows how much we wanna figure it out."

"Any more on Greg's murder?" Dean asked as Punk just shook his head.

"Nothing." Punk told him.

* * *

AJ was at home, working on her case she was representing, trying her best to get a structure worked out, but she just couldn't think straight. Her head was all over the place. Thinking about the pictures she was sent, thinking about Punk and how much she missed him yet hated him for giving up so easily, thinking about Sofia and her killers. She felt like her head was going to explode.

"Hey, April. It's just me!" Dominic announced as he walked into her house.

"In the kitchen." AJ called to him as he walked on down the hallway and into her kitchen.

"Busy are we?" Dominic smiled.

"It would appear that way." AJ nodded, "Everything ok?" She asked.

"You tell me." Dominic said as AJ looked up at him, "I spoke to little Dee from the corner shop last night. He told me he saw you and that cop leading Greg's case kissing outside your door one morning last week."

"I'm not in the mood for this." AJ told him bluntly, looking back down at her work.

"No, you'll be in the mood." Dominic said, grabbing her pen from her and throwing it across the kitchen as AJ leaned back on her chair, "What the hell are you playing at? If you've got some strategy then let me know about it-"

"I've not got a strategy." AJ shook her head, "Why are people watching me anyway?" AJ shook her head, "I haven't saw Dee since I was a kid."

"He said he was driving by." Dominic shrugged, "Tell me it was just a one night thing."

"It wasn't." AJ told him as Dominic shook his head, "It was a lot of nights." She nodded with a smile.

"April, he's leading the fucking case, are you crazy?" He spat, "How do I not know you're gonna spill everything to him about Matthew?" He asked her.

"We're not seeing each other anymore so it's fine." AJ told him, "He's not a bad person for wanting answers, you know."

"I'm not saying he's a bad person. He's a cop. He's not gonna care about excuses. If he finds out Matthew killed Greg then Matthew is a dead man."

"You don't know that." AJ said.

"Why did you even… get with him? What goes through your brain? What told you that was a good idea?" Dominic asked, "You don't have relationships."

"Yeah well he fucked me too good." AJ shook her head, clearing her papers away.

"Yeah, ok." Dominic shook his head, "Did he tell you anything about the case? Anything he's found out?"

"No. Nothing. He doesn't know anything that we don't." AJ stood up, putting different papers into certain folders.

"They cops are getting threats by the guys who killed her. You'd think they'd back down." Dominic shook his head as AJ looked over at him.

"So am I." AJ said, walking over to the kitchen drawer, pulling it out and showing him the two same pictures, "One was left outside my door, the other on my car window." She said as Dominic took them from her, turning them around the reading the notes left.

"What the fuck?" Dominic shook his head, turning to AJ, "Did you give these to the cops?"

"I gave this one." She pointed to the first picture, "Not this. Me and Phil had some disagreements and I… I'm not going near him."

"He dump you?" Dominic teased.

"Fuck off." AJ said seriously as Dominic looked at her, not realising how serious she was about this guy.

"You should hand the second one in." Dominic said, "Maybe you should come to Puerto Rico for a few weeks-"

"Run away from my problems like everyone else in our family does? Yeah, why don't I." She nodded sarcastically, "I'm tired of being scared." She shook her head as Dominic looked at her.

"Do you want me to… stay here?" Dominic asked her.

"No. I have cops outside." AJ shook her head, "I want to be on my own."

"Are you ok?" Dominic asked, beginning to notice how much this seemed to be affecting her. He knew it was always affecting her, but she looked like she hadn't slept in days, "Are you thinking more about the case or… this cop?" Dominic asked her. He was her brother. He noticed when she wasn't herself for particular reasons.

"I really liked him." AJ shook her head, sitting back down at the table as Dominic sat the pictures down of her and Sofia, "He was… different." She shook her head, "Someone I could see myself actually being with." She nodded, "And this case… it ruined it like it has many other things in my life." She said, "Can't help wonder if it would have been better if they just got… the right girl." She nodded as Dominic shook his head.

"Don't say that ever again." He warned her angrily, "It's ok to admit you had feelings for this guy. If he was a dick and chose his job over you then… that's his problem." He nodded, "You'll find someone better." He said as AJ sighed.

"I think he was just trying to look out for me." AJ nodded. She could see sense in Punk's decision for them to stay away from one another. She played such a huge part in the case which he was leading, and with what she had told him, the position she'd put him in, he probably found it best for them to stay clear of one another. But she missed him terribly.

"You'll move on." Dominic nodded, "This case will either get dropped, or they'll find the killers. I know which one I'm betting on." He rolled his eyes, "And things will return to normal. No more threats and no more feeling guilty about hiding things." He said, "You'll get back on with your life."

"I liked him in my life." She said quietly as Dominic nodded.

"It's the price you pay when you let people in. You risk losing them. I can understand why you've never let it happen. It sucks." Dominic said as AJ nodded in agreement with tears in her eyes, "But it'll get better. I promise you that." He said as she nodded with hope.

"Yeah, I just need time on my own." AJ nodded to him.

"Sure." Dominic said, "I'll be around. Until they let the cases go or something is found, I'll go back to Puerto Rico. But I'm here for now." He reminded her, "I can stay here if you want me to."

"No, trust me, I'm fine." AJ nodded, wiping her eyes quickly before any tears spilled out.

"You sure?" Dominic asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, placing her hand over his and pushing a smile, "I'm ok."

"Ok." Dominic said, "Well take it easy. And don't torture yourself." He said as AJ just nodded, "I'll go. You should catch an early night, you look tired." He nodded.

"I am tired." AJ nodded.

"Ok, I'll see you later." He said, leaning over and kissing her head before leaving the kitchen and heading out of the house.

AJ tidied up around the kitchen before eventually heading upstairs to go to bed. She felt sad and tired and she knew all the stress she was under had spiralled her into a depressive episode where she wanted to lie in bed forever.

She was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when she suddenly heard noise coming from downstairs. She rolled her eyes a little at her own mind playing tricks on her, but then she heard more movement and walked out of the bathroom and out of her room, standing at the top of the stairs.

She walked back into her bedroom and looked out the window at the cop car, noticing the cop in the front was fast asleep behind the wheel. She immediately gulped and walked back out of her bedroom.

"Who is there?" AJ called out, not hearing a thing, slowly but surely tip toeing downstairs, "The police are on their way right now." She called, even though she was lying. Her cell phone was downstairs, otherwise she would have called the police.

"Hello?" She said, getting to the bottom of the stairs, turning the corner and slowly walking down the hallway, about to step into the kitchen when she suddenly felt arms swarm around her, a wet cloth being pressed against her mouth as she squirmed around, trying her best to get out of the grip but suddenly feeling lifeless and limp from whatever it was she was inhaling, until she passed out completely.


	27. Caught Out

**Caught Out**

* * *

"You still got that picture that was sent to AJ?" Dean asked the next morning coming into the station where Punk was sitting drinking a cup of coffee.

"No, I gave her it back. Well, posted it through her letter box, the other day." Punk said, "Why?"

"Forensics want to take another look at, that's all." Dean nodded, "I'll ask her when she comes by to see her client, I'm sure she'll be around."

"Yeah." Punk nodded casually.

"Hey, you ok, man?" Dean asked him as Punk just nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Punk nodded to him, "All of this is just… it's like a means to an end. I just want to find something, anything." He shook his head.

"Yeah, I know how you feel." Dean said, "Lia knocked some sense into me on our vacation. Reminded me that… what we don't find isn't our fault." Dean said, "And if it comes to it that… we can't figure this out then so be it. They couldn't do it back then. We shouldn't be so damn hard on ourselves." He said.

"I know, it just feels like we're so close, you know?" Punk said.

"Yeah, I get it." Dean nodded, "Hey, we're having pizza tonight. Why don't you come over for a bit?" He asked as Punk leaned back on his chair, "Just a few hours. Take your mind off of things." He said as Punk nodded along.

"Yeah, ok. I will." Punk nodded. He knew Dean was right. They couldn't sit around blaming themselves for what they couldn't find, but he was just struggling to accept the fact he was turning a blind eye to what he knew, what AJ had told him, but he cared about her too much to bring it to Dean's attention. He missed her.

"Ok." Dean smiled, "I'm gonna go check to see if April has come by, see if we can get that picture from her again." He said as Punk nodded, watching him walk off out of the back area.

Dean walked on out to the reception area, standing at the desk and waiting for Joan to appear, "Hey, has April been?" He asked her.

"Uh… no actually." Joan said with surprise, "She was scheduled in for 9." She shook her head, "It's not like her to be late or not show up."

"Did you give her a call?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it went straight to her voicemail." Joan said, "I wouldn't say, but she's been looking a little rough these past few days." She said quietly.

"Yeah, well poor girl is going through a lot." Dean said, "Ok, just let me know if she appears, tell her Dean and Phil are looking for her."

"I will." Joan smiled as Dean nodded and walked back into the back offices.

"She's not showed up. Joan said she's not answering her phone either." Dean told Punk.

"It's not like her." Punk realised.

"Yeah. I don't blame her though, all this shit must be hard to relive." Dean shook his head as Punk sighed and nodded. He desperately wished he could have just gone to see her, hug her, kiss her, make it all better for her. He never wanted this to be the way things worked out, and he hated that he was the one who looked like the bad guy, but he thought it was a realistic decision, given what had been revealed, what she had told him.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"We could swing by her house on the way home for it." Dean shrugged.

"Or maybe we should just leave her alone." Punk suggested.

"We need that picture." Dean said.

"We can get it tomorrow. She's clearly avoiding work because she needs a break." Punk said, "We should give her the space." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, ok." Dean nodded, "Ok, you coming to do the rounds?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll get my things." Punk nodded.

* * *

Later that night, Punk had gone home with Dean after being invited around for dinner. He was grateful for his friend at this time, even though he felt awful for not letting him in on everything, he was still going to take him up on his support.

"How long is Ian giving you both with these cases then?" Lia asked, sitting at the table with Eva in her high chair beside her and the boys sitting across.

"He's sort of lay off us a bit." Dean said, "I think he knows we're not going to stop." He laughed a little as Punk nodded to himself.

"What if it comes to it that you have no choice? That's already been weeks since it happened… months." She said, "You can only do so much, I'd imagine."

"Yeah, but different things pop up at different times." Punk nodded, "That's the annoying thing about this job. Anything can happen at any time." He aid as Lia nodded.

"Do you guys get scared? I mean I get scared for you." She admitted.

"Depends what we're working on." Dean said, "I think we can agree that this case has been… difficult. I wouldn't say scary though." He said.

"No." Punk agreed, "Just difficult. Frustrating more than anything." He said.

"How amazing would it be if you could find those sick guys." She said, "You best be entitled to a raise." She said as Dean smiled.

"Yeah, I should think so." Dean laughed as Punk nodded.

"Huh, Eva?" Lia looked on at the blonde 7 month in her high chair, "Do you think daddy needs a raise? I think so." She nodded as Dean shook his head.

"So you can buy her more meaningless blankets?" Dean asked her, "I swear she's got like twenty." He told Punk who just smiled.

"It gets cold in the winter, may I remind you." Lia said, "And they're really cute." She said.

"She has too many." Dean concluded whilst Punk looked over at the baby girl, reaching for her spoon that her mother was holding.

"Does she feed herself?" Punk asked.

"Sometimes." Lia nodded, "Sometimes she just likes to throw it away though." She shrugged as Punk nodded.

"She's kinda funny to watch." Punk told them.

"I know, that's what I say to Dean, I could just sit and watch her all day." Lia smiled, continuing to feed Eva.

"I like her until she cries." Dean made clear as Lia just rolled her eyes.

"She owns you and you know it." Lia said whilst Punk smiled over. He'd never imagined himself in this sort of scene with a steady home, his own family. He'd always just known his job, but being around Dean and Lia made him think of AJ. It seemed like anything he done now, he just thought of her. He knew his feelings for her were going to go away. He just wished things could have stayed simple.

"Why don't you go call AJ?" Dean asked Punk who turned to him with confusion, "Ask her if she'll be in the station tomorrow, tell her to bring the picture." Dean said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Uh… yeah, ok. I'll go see if she answers." Punk said, excusing himself from the table and walking off into the living room, shutting the door behind him.

"Is he ok?" Lia asked Dean, "He seems kinda down." She frowned as Dean took over to feed Eva.

"Yeah, since I got back he's seemed off." Dean noticed, "I don't know if it's just these cases. They're really getting to him."

"Well just keep an eye on him." Lia sighed, "I hate the sort of pressure you boys have to face with this. Look out for each other." She said.

"Yeah, I will. He's ok. I think it's just catching up to him." Dean nodded.

Meanwhile Punk stood in the living room and had called AJ's number. He planned on just asking her the simple question Dean had suggested, but then he really wanted to tell her how he was feeling.

The call went onto her answer machine and so he decided to leave a message, "Hey it's me." He said, "I uh… I'm just calling to ask if we could see that picture again. Forensics want another look at it." He said, pausing for a few minutes, "Uh… I… I really miss you." He sighed to himself. He knew there were mixed signals everywhere, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he still cared for her, "My head is fucked, April." He admitted truthfully, "I don't know anything anymore besides the fact I miss you and I just wanna be with you. I know that makes me a hypocrite for being the one who called it off but I thought it was the right decision to make with everything going on." He shook his head, "But… now I just want to see you. I know none of this is your fault. And I know… I know I'm messing you around, probably confusing you. I'm confusing myself." He shook his head. He didn't think falling for a girl would come with all this confusion, but he accepted the fact they had a lot going on around them which prevented them from being in a quote on quote, normal, relationship.

"Look, maybe we could talk tomorrow." Punk shook his head, "Talk about what we're gonna do about this, about Greg's case. I mean I totally get it if you don't wanna talk to me, I know I've probably… hurt you, and that kills me. But this was never about my feelings changing towards you." He said, "I just… I miss you. Give me a call or a text or something." He nodded, hanging up on the call…

"What the fuck was that?" Dean folded his arms as Punk turned around, watching him stand with confusion.

* * *

AJ finally woke up after being blacked out for a while. She had no idea where she was but was well aware of what had happened. She came to her senses and automatically tried to move when she found her hands tied to a chair, trying to move them but feeling them tied tight along with her ankles being tied together.

She looked around the empty room which appeared to just look like a motel room of some kind. She was convinced she knew what was happening and of course she was freaking out, her heart was beating out of her chest and she was already thinking of how she could get out of this situation, finding it pretty difficult when she didn't have function of her legs and arms.

She started to scan the room, trying to look for any sort of plan, but her nervousness and paranoia wouldn't let her think straight.

She then watched as the room door opened up, gulping as she saw a man walk in with a black mask over his face. The only thing visible was his eyes and they already haunted her.

"Someone is going to find me." AJ told him, but he didn't respond. She noticed he had gloves on which explained the lack of evidence shown in Sofia's case. She was trying so hard to notice things about him that would help her identify him… if she got the chance to, "Where are the rest of you?" She asked him, watching as he lifted up a plastic bag onto the bed, opening it up and taking things out as AJ looked on in horror. They looked like different tools and equipment, "Before you… do what you're going to do… please just tell me why." She shook her head, trying not to get upset, but she couldn't help it as she watched him unpack the bag.

She then watched as a few other men walked into the room, with the same black hoods over their faces, gulping to herself, realising how scared Sofia must have been, realising she had finally met her killers who apparently didn't speak.

"Why didn't you let her go?" AJ asked them, "It wasn't her you wanted." She said, trying desperately to get one of them to say something, but they all kept quiet. She wondered how they even got away with this. She counted four of them. One main guy who was unpacking the bag and three others by the door. She remembered their heights and eye colours. But that was all she had to work with.

She watched as the man unpacking the bag finally got what he was obviously looking for, walking over to her as she looked at the scissors in his hands.

"W-What… what are you doing?" AJ shook her head, feeling the man force her head down as she tried to keep herself together, looking down at the ground, suddenly realising the floor beneath where she was sitting was covered in plastic. She couldn't hold her tears back if she tried, feeling the man behind her keep a force down on her head, whilst suddenly feeling the scissors cut through her hair long hair just below her shoulders.

She wasn't even sure how long she was blacked out for, and if anyone would notice she was even missing. She just hoped they would. There was quite clearly no way she was escaping this otherwise.


	28. In Time

**In Time**

* * *

"You never thought to tell me any of this?" Dean spat after Punk explained everything to Dean. Everything from him and AJ getting together to her revealing how Greg died. Punk accepted that Dean was mad, he had a right.

"I'm still trying to figure it all out." Punk said, "It's the guy's little sister. He had a right to be mad-"

"He didn't have a right to kill anyone, though. What the hell has gotten into you? Have you spent too much time around AJ?" He asked, "I can't believe this. We have to… we have to get in contact and get him arrested in Puerto Rico." Dean ran his hand through his hair.

"No, we're not doing anything." Punk said, "If we can find Sofia's killers then we can find a way to put the blame on them for Greg's death." He nodded.

"She's really fucked you up." Dean shook his head in disbelief, "You could lose your job, you could go to prison, we all could if we don't do anything about it."

"Dean, the girls family is a mess. You saw those fucking pictures. You saw what they did to her. If that was Cami, and I found out that someone could have prevented her from being hurt but stayed quiet and stayed hidden, I'd do the exact same fucking thing." Punk said.

"I don't care. He is a murderer and he needs to be punished for that." Dean said.

"I'm asking you to think about it." Punk said, "I know you don't have a sister but you got people you love, what if that was Lia… and someone could have done something to help her and didn't… what would you wanna do?" He asked as Dean placed his hands on his hips and grunted, "Yeah, I thought so."

"Phil, it still doesn't matter if we sympathise with the guy. He killed someone in cold blood. That's murder and it's our job to arrest him and take him in for that." Dean said, "I don't care if it'll hurt AJ's feelings-"

"Well I do." Punk said, "She's scared and she's been through enough. She feels like she owes it to Sofia to protect her family, and I've never felt this way about a girl before."

"Your stupid crush on her shouldn't determine us ignoring a murder case." Dean shook his head.

"It's not a crush." Punk batted back, "I care about the girl, and I'm looking at this from her point of view, and Sofia's families point of view, and what they deserve is her killers to be found, not us going in and arresting anyone."

"You'd really risk your job, your life, just because of AJ's feelings, a girl who… who doesn't even have feelings herself."

"You don't know her." Punk shook his head, "Look, I don't expect you to understand, I didn't at first when April told me, but none of these people asked for this. There is one main problem in all of this and that's those bastards who killed Sofia." He said as Dean placed his hands on his hips, "I'm not asking you to be happy about this or go along with it, I just want you to know how I feel and what I think is the right thing to do in this case."

"The right thing, Phil, would be to arrest Matthew." Dean reminded him.

"I know that." Punk said, "Of course I know that." He said as Dean shook his head and ran his hand over his face.

"This has went from messy to messier." Dean shook his head, "And if you hadn't been my partner all these years, and my best friend since forever, then I'd go do my own thing." He said as Punk took a deep breath with relief, "But you're playing a dangerous game here." He reminded him.

"I know." Punk sighed.

"Dean." Lia said as she walked into the living room, "Your phone, it's Joan" She said, handing his phone to him as Punk raised a brow.

"Hey, Joan now isn't really a good-" He paused, listening as Joan raced ahead, "Wait, what's his name?" He asked, looking over at Punk who folded his arms, "Ok, we'll be there. Keep him cool." He said, hanging up.

"What is it?" Punk asked.

"AJ's brother is at the station screaming bloody murder. Saying AJ hasn't been seen in a full day, he can't get a hold of her and she's not in her house, but her front door was left unlocked." Dean said as Punk looked across at him wearily.

"We need to go." Punk nodded, an anxious feeling taking over him that something wasn't right.

"She didn't come to work this morning." Dean said quietly as Punk took a deep breath.

"We need to go. Now." Punk nodded.

* * *

Punk and Dean left the house and headed to the station, getting out of the car and walking in through the doors.

As soon as they got in, Dean felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulders and push him against the wall, "Alright, where the fuck is she?" Dominic spat as Punk came behind and pulled Dominic from Dean, pushing him away.

"Calm the fuck down." Punk warned. He'd never met him or saw him for that matter. This wasn't how he imagined meeting him.

"You better tread carefully." Dominic warned.

"Yeah just you remember what we know, pal." Punk reminded him as Dominic looked at him, "When did you last see AJ?" He asked.

"Last night." Dominic said, "She told me about… telling you." He said, "And let me just make myself clear, hurt my sister, and I will hurt you."

"That can wait just now." Punk scoffed.

"She showed me the pictures too." Dominic nodded.

"Pictures?" Dean asked, "More than one?"

"Well it was the same picture but a different message. She found it on her car." Dominic said.

"What did it say?" Punk shook his head.

"Keep digging. We'll make it right this time." Dominic said as Punk turned to Dean who looked equally as worried.

"I uh… we need people out." Dean said as Punk nodded, "I'll go round up some cops and let Ian know." He said as Punk ran his hand over his face.

"This will be your fault." Dominic warned Punk, "Everything would be fine if you left the case alone."

"Everything would be fine if your buddy didn't go kill Greg." Punk reminded him, "Do you wanna stand here and fight with me and waste time? Or do you want to help find your sister?" He asked as Dominic stayed quiet and looked at him, "Yeah, I thought that." Punk nodded, "Ok, so we're looking at possible kidnap from her home." Punk nodded, walking over to the reception where Joan stood worried, "Joan get forensics over to AJ's house to check things out, yeah?"

"Yeah." Joan nodded, lifting the phone whilst Dean came back through the doors, holding them open for the on call cops who one by one began to leave the station to patrol the streets and look for AJ in the most likely of places.

"Ok, I think we should… look at this." Dean extended the folder to Punk who took it, "And I think you should stay out of the way." He looked to Dominic.

"No, I'm not letting what happened to Sofia happen to April." Dominic made clear.

"He's fine." Punk waved his hand. He couldn't care less who was here, he just wanted to find April, to make sure she was ok, he was starting to panic terribly, further confirming how he felt about her.

"So we're looking for guys. A few of them we don't have an exact number." Punk said, opening up the folder. He figured if it was Sofia's killers, they would follow the steps they took when they killed her. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"She was found in the Hiltop Motel." Dean pointed to the folder, "I think that's a good place to start." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk took a deep breath, "You stay here." He turned to Dominic, "Joan, give him a phone." He said as Joan dug out one of the police phones which had connections to all the phones, "You hear anything, you think of anything, press 30, that goes through to me. Ok?"

"Yeah and you hear anything you call me." Dominic made clear, "Ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Punk nodded, "C'mon, let's go." Punk said to Dean, leaving the office and into their car as Punk started up the engine.

"I'm gonna… call for an ambulance." Dean nodded as Punk gripped the steering wheel and nodded.

"Mhm." Punk nodded, pulling out onto the road and putting his foot down, hoping and praying that it wouldn't come to the need of an ambulance.

* * *

When there were no cars in the parking lot of the motel, Punk began to worry in case AJ wasn't there, which meant they were wasting more time, but they still had to look. They pulled up in the car and got out, rushing to the check in desk.

"Did anyone check into a room using the name Bret Harding." Punk said, referring to the fake name which had been used when Sofia was murdered and also the same name that was used when visiting Mark in prison.

"Uh yeah." The lady stood up, "Room 205. Need a key?"

"Yes." Punk nodded, turning to Dean who ran his hand through his hair. Punk took the key from the clearly worried woman, rushing down the railings along the rooms until they came to the room.

Punk slowly put the key in the lock and turned it, both of them hovering their hands over their side arms. He pushed the door open walking in and holding his gun up as Dean followed behind.

Punk immediately spotted AJ lying on the floor on a strip of plastic wrapping. He forgot all about his routine as a cop and rushed over to her whilst Dean checked the room which appeared to be empty.

"No one in the bathroom." Dean called as Punk crouched down beside AJ, placing his two fingers against her neck.

"I-I can't find a pulse." Punk shook his head, looking around AJ's body to see if there were any wounds, but he couldn't find any, nor was there a spot of blood anywhere. To the naked eye, she looked unharmed.

"Phil." Dean noticed a pill on the plastic as Punk immediately turned AJ around, holding her up and poking his fingers down her throat, "I'm gonna get the ambulance." Dean said, once hearing the sirens, rushing out of the room to direct the EMTs over.

"Ok, c'mon, April." Punk nodded, holding her up, having only just realised her hair had been cut to her shoulders, "C'mon, throw them up." He said desperately, suddenly listening as AJ boked, throwing up as he rubbed her back and sighed to himself.

He heard her start to cry, trying to push him away, unaware that it was him, "Hey… no, it's me. It's Phil. You're ok. I got you." He kissed her head as AJ looked around at the spinning room, "You need to throw more up." Punk said, worried that she hadn't threw them up.

He put his fingers down her throat again, not giving her a choice to throw them up, watching as she threw up some more just as the EMTs and more cops rushed into the room. Dean had explained what they assumed was wrong with her and so they took over whilst Punk stepped aside and watched.

"They're the same pills." Dean told Punk after finding the empty tub of pills in the trash, "Same pills they used for Sofia." He nodded, but Punk wasn't listening, he was too busy watching AJ being attended to.

"Is she ok? Is she gonna be ok?" Punk asked an EMT.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Was the only reply he got as Punk nodded.

"Hey, we got her in time." Dean nodded to Punk who turned to him and nodded, "We got her." He said as Punk nodded, following the EMTs and AJ out of the room whilst Dean stayed in the room, looking around.

Whilst he could see AJ was hopefully going to be ok, he started wondering what had happened in this room, why had they spent so much time keeping AJ alive when they didn't Sofia? Why had they tried to kill her by an overdose? Did they even try to kill her? So many questions were unanswered and he supposed AJ would answer them, but they'd gotten away, they were still out there, and that was something they all needed to be worried about.


	29. Talk About It

**Talk About It**

* * *

"How is she? Is she ok?" Punk stood up immediately once he saw AJ's doctor emerge from her room.

"Yeah, she's ok." The doctor nodded positively, "We flushed the pills out of her system and she doesn't seem to be hurt in anywhere else. She'll feel a little groggy and tired for the next few days but… she's in a stable condition." The doctor smiled as Punk nodded and took a deep breath.

"Can I see her? Is she awake?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah, she's awake. You can go in." The doctor nodded as Punk walked on into the room where he saw AJ sitting up in the hospital bed, awake and thankfully looking unharmed.

"Hey." Punk sighed with relief, walking around the bed side and taking a seat by her side as she nodded to him, "How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Tired." AJ said. She'd gone through so much in the past twenty four hours, to not knowing where she was, to the realisation that she was possibly going to suffer the same fate as Sofia, to almost dying. It had been a terrible twenty four hours and she never thought she'd say she was more thankful to be in hospital in her life. She knew she was safe there.

"I thought you were… I thought you were gone." Punk gulped, looking at her as she looked back, "I-I didn't know what to do."

"You did. Clearly." AJ replied quietly, "I thought I was gonna die." She said, her voice breaking a little.

"It's ok." Punk nodded, taking her hand in his as she looked down at it. It felt so good to have his comfort and she didn't care about what they had said about their relationship, she needed him right now. If he hadn't thought so quickly and pieced together everything, she didn't know if she would still be alive and that was a scary thought.

"They cut my hair." AJ rolled her eyes and shook her head, running her hand through her now shorter hair.

"I kinda like it." Punk smiled to her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as AJ just shook her head. He wasn't going to bombard her with questions right away, she deserved time to compose herself and seek comfort, he couldn't imagine how frightened she was.

"You're just saying that." She mumbled.

"No, I do." Punk nodded, "It's hair. It can grow back." He reminded her as she rest her head on her pillow.

"I need to be in court tomorrow." She realised, lifting her head, "I… I have a case to present, I'm pushing for a plea deal… I need to be there." She said, attempting to get her legs out of the bed as Punk took a hold of her arm gently to stop her.

"April, it's ok. Another attorney will take over or they'll postpone the trial." Punk told her, "You need to stay here and rest. You've been through a lot. Physically and emotionally." He said. He could see she was still in shock. He knew all the signs as a police officer, he saw it frequently with people.

"Are you sure?" AJ asked him, resting herself back in the bed.

"I'm sure." Punk nodded, "You just need some rest." He said as AJ nodded.

She was glad to see his face, even if she was aware of their situation, it seemed irrelevant at that moment to both of them.

"I'm glad you're here." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"I'm glad you're here." Punk replied truthfully, taking her hand and holding it in his as she nodded. Everything else just didn't matter right now. She just wanted to feel safe with him, before people started asking her questions, before she had to sink into her reality.

Just as he was leaning over to give her a kiss, the door opened with Dominic rushing in. Punk leaned back and slowly let go of her hand as she also let go at the same time.

"Thank God." Dominic shook his head, walking around the opposite side of the bed and hugging his sister tightly, "Oh my God, I was so fucking worried." He said, squeezing her tight, "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I'm ok. I'm fine." AJ nodded whilst Punk stood up.

"I'll uh… I'll leave you guys alone." Punk said, standing up as AJ watched him leave the room, turning back to Dominic.

"Did you see their faces?" Dominic asked. Unlike Punk, he wasn't mentally aware to give AJ the space and time she needed yet, and desperately just wanted answers.

But the hardest thing for AJ was, she didn't see their faces, and she didn't know who they were or what they looked like.

"No." AJ shook her head, "I didn't."

"Hey, has anyone picked up anything?" Punk asked Dean who had made his way into the hospital. He stayed with a few other investigators and forensics team to examine the motel room and look and ask around whilst Punk went to the hospital with AJ.

"Nothing." Dean said, "No fingerprints anywhere, no DNA, no one saw anything, they didn't use a car because the surveillance footage doesn't show any cars in the car park." He said, "At least we know it's the same guys, because they've clearly done this before." He said, "How is AJ?"

"She's ok. Still shocked. She's a little tired. Her brother has just gone into see her." He said as Dean nodded.

"We're gonna need to ask her stuff, you know that?" Dean said.

"Of course." Punk said, "I just… want to give her a bit of space first. She's been through a lot." He said as Dean nodded.

"Of course." Dean said as Punk ran his hand through his hair, "Look… I'm not gonna say anything… about Greg's case." He said quietly as Punk looked at him, "But only because you're like my brother… and also because I can see how much you like AJ. I'm still in shock that you're even a thing… but… I can see you care about her."

"Well we're not really a thing. I called it off." Punk shook his head, "All I wanna do is hug her and tell her it's ok." He sighed, immediately regretting his choice to part ways with her. Who was he kidding? He wanted to be with her. He couldn't stay away. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe. It felt stupid staying apart.

"You'll have time to talk." Dean assured him as Punk nodded, "You wanna go get a coffee before we go in and talk to her?" He asked.

"Yeah, give her and her brother some time." Punk said, walking on off to the coffee machine.

"Her brother doesn't look friendly." Dean pointed out.

"I think we caught him at a bad moment. He's probably not a bad guy." Punk said as Dean just nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." Dean nodded, "This shit just gets crazier by the minute." He shook his head.

* * *

Once Dean and Punk took time to compose their own selves, they headed to AJ's room and asked Dominic if it would be ok to talk to AJ on her own. He left without a fuss and told AJ he would go to her house and pack her a bag with some clothes for the morning, which she was expecting to get out in.

"How you doing?" Dean nodded to AJ.

"I'm ok." AJ said tiredly, "I'm aware that… if you two didn't think so quick and weren't so familiar with this case… there could have been a different outcome, so thank you." She nodded.

"You don't have to thank us for anything." Dean assured her, "Main thing is you're ok, and you're not hurt." He said, "We're gonna ask you some questions, if you… need us to stop just tell us, we can come back."

"No, I should be ok." AJ assured them as they took a seat. Punk sat at one side of the bed whilst Dean sat at the other.

"Well, I guess just tell us what you remember?" Dean asked.

"I don't really remember being taken." AJ told them, "I know Dominic had just left and I was going to bed but… everything after that is blurry. I'm assuming that's because of… whatever it is what they used to make me pass out." She said, "I then woke up in the motel room alone. I was sat on a chair, my hands were tied to the chair and my ankles were tied together." She said. It felt so strange to her because normally she was the one sitting on the other side asking someone to tell her their story of what happened, and now she was the one telling the story.

"Did you notice anything around the room?" Punk asked her.

"No. My mind was spinning at that point. And then one guy came in. I know this is gonna make you both mad but… he was wearing a mask, a black hood over his face. I could only see his eyes. They were dark." She said, "He was average height, skinny." She nodded, "And… that's all I have on his description." She said, feeling close to crying at how little help she was.

"Ok, it's ok." Punk nodded to her, "It's still more than we had before." He reminded her as she nodded.

"What happened next?" Dean asked.

"Then three other guys came in. All wearing the same black masks. I couldn't really see their eyes. One was really tall, the other two same average height as the first guy. They stayed near the door for most of what I remember." She said.

"And then what?" Punk asked.

"The first guy. He pulled out a blag back from underneath the bed. He… He started pulling out… tools." She gulped as Punk ran his hand over his face. He couldn't imagine how terrified she must have been.

"What kind of tools?" Dean asked.

"There was… a hammer, a chisel, one of those curvey metal things-"

"Crowbar?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah, that." AJ nodded, "A few other things I don't know the names of." She said as Dean took notes, "And scissors."

"Did they say anything to you?" Dean wondered.

"Well that's what I was trying to do. I kept asking the first guy questions. Why he was doing it? What he was gonna do? But no one said a thing. No one spoke a word." She said, "He then… walked behind me and pushed my head down… started cutting my hair."

"Did he say why?" Dean asked.

"He didn't say a thing. None of them did. The fact that one of them could come into this room right now and I wouldn't know is terrifying me." She told them honestly as Punk sighed.

"Ok." Dean sighed, getting the point, "What'd he do after he cut your hair?"

"Well that's when I noticed the plastic around me on the floor. I just thought they were gonna… rape me and then kill me with all of those tools." She shook her head, "One of them left the room whilst my hair was being cut." She said, "I looked up and managed to see it was the tall one by the door, but then my head was pushed back down, he… hit me a little, seemed angry that I'd messed up the nice hair job he was doing." She shook her head, "I can only assume that maybe he was on look out, maybe he heard the sirens and they got spooked."

"Did you hear the sirens?" Punk asked.

"No. Not at that point." AJ said, "I was just trying to figure out a way to get out. I knew there wasn't, but it was the only way I could keep myself from… from losing it." She said.

"So this entire time, none of them said a word?" Punk asked her.

"Not a peep." AJ said, "Once the one cutting my hair was done, he went back to the bag. I could see he had other things in it. Looked like clothes." She said, "It looked like he was getting them out when the tall one came back in. They exchanged looks and that's when I clocked onto the sirens." She said, "They did look flustered and panicked. Like they didn't expect it."

"Why would they not expect it? They took you to the same place they took Sofia." Punk shook his head.

"I just think they thought they had more time. That's what it looked like." AJ said, "So the first guy packed the bag back up and tossed it over to one of the other guys. He kept out a bottle of water and a tub of pills. I knew what was happening. I was… shocked they were giving me such a… light exit." She shook her head, "Why wouldn't they have just struck me with one of the tools? Why give me pills?"

"Not enough time to clear it up." Dean figured, "Is that all you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember opening my mouth, I didn't have the choice, he poured a few in at a time. He must have gave me the full tub." She raised her eyebrows, "And I can't remember him untying me and laying me down, I must have been gone at that point." She said, "And that's it." She looked at them both, "How can I be in the same room as them and still have nothing on them?" She shook her head with frustration.

"It's not your fault." Punk shook his head as she sighed, "I mean these guys… they have it figured it out."

"Do you think they were gonna… do to me what they did to Sofia?" She asked them worriedly, even though she knew it was most likely.

"We don't know for sure but… a lot of the scene is similar to… Sofia's." Dean nodded, "The plastic on the floor. Sofia was found in… clothes that she didn't leave the house in." Dean said, "And… she was drugged with the same pills that you were. They didn't use them to kill her but… whilst they were… well you know what happened." Dean sighed to himself, "Most important thing is you're ok, if anything this will have spooked them, they know we're sharper than before, we're onto them quicker."

"What if they come back?" AJ shook her head.

"They're not going to get away with it again." Punk said, he promised her and himself that she wouldn't be harmed.

"I'm gonna go see if there's any update on things, they were still scanning the room." Dean said, "It's gonna be ok." He told AJ, rubbing her arm comfortingly as AJ smiled lightly as Dean got up and left the room.

"I hate being scared." AJ shook her head, rolling her head back on the pillow as Punk sighed.

"I promise you, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He shook his head, "Ok, I'm done with these motherfuckers, and I'm done pretending we can just walk away from each other." He said as AJ looked over at him, "Ok, I got you. And you're gonna be ok." He promised, taking her hand as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Knowing he really did care and was here for her meant the world.

He stood up from his chair and sat down on the edge of her bed as she sat up and wrapped his arms around him as he hugged her back, kissing her head and holding on tightly. He was so glad she was ok, and the relief he felt really proved how strong his feelings were.

She pulled back and looked up at him as he looked down, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss on her lips as she kissed back, sinking back into the hug again, taking every minute of the warm embrace in. She really needed it after everything. She still felt in shock.


	30. Together

**Together**

* * *

"If they didn't use a car, they were obviously on foot, right?" Punk asked, later that night standing in the motel room with Dean and some other officers who had taped the room off to take a close look. He had left AJ at the hospital to get some sleep.

"Yeah, seems like it." Dean nodded, "Which means, they couldn't have gotten that far when we arrived. I've got some cops looking around the area to see any footpaths or ditches nearby which maybe they took out." He said as Punk nodded.

"I wanna know why they waited so long. Why did they think they had all the time in the world? When they know we've been onto them?" Punk asked, "I mean, they took Sofia at night and her body was found the next morning." He said, "They kept AJ a full night and day."

"The strategy was definitely different." Dean nodded, "And like AJ said, why'd they give her pills instead of just… quickly killing her?"

"I have no idea." Punk shook his head, "AJ said they were wearing gloves too she remembered, explains why there is never any DNA anywhere."

"Why cut her hair as well?" Dean asked.

"I was thinking that too and then I looked back at the pictures of Sofia. She had short hair, same length as what they cut AJ's too." Punk said, "I mean, you hear about serial killers, how they rein act their murders, how everything has to be perfect and similar." He said as Dean nodded, "Could have been what they were doing here."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean nodded, "You talk to her? About the both of you?" He wondered. He could see Punk was very worried about AJ, it showed how much he cared. Despite all the extra baggage it was coming with, he was glad that his friend had finally found someone he truly cared about.

"Yeah, she knows I'm here and that… I wanna be there for her." Punk nodded, "Everything I said about splitting apart… fuck it, I'm not doing it just because it feels like the realistic thing to do, I care about her and I want to be with her." He said.

"Then you should." Dean nodded, "And look, I get it, with Greg's case, I understand Sofia's family's anger… I think we should focus more of our attention onto finding the people killed her, and tried to kill AJ." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, thank you." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna go back to the hospital and see if she's ok. You good here?"

"Yeah, I'll stick around and see what little to none evidence we can find." He shook his head as Punk just smiled and nodded, leaving the motel which had been fully closed off, and heading back to the hospital to check on AJ.

* * *

He arrived at the hospital and walked on down the corridor to AJ's room, walking in where he saw her brother sitting on the armchair whilst AJ was fast asleep.

"Hey." Punk nodded politely as Dominic nodded.

"Hey." Dominic said.

"She doing ok?" Punk asked him. He knew AJ was bound to be terrified, and all he wanted to do was make sure she felt safe.

"Yeah, been sleeping since you left." Dominic nodded as Punk walked over and took a seat on the opposite arm chair, "Thank you." He mumbled, looking down at the ground as Punk looked over at him, "For getting to her in time."

"You don't have to thank me." Punk shook his head.

"No I do." Dominic said, "I couldn't lose her like that. I saw what it done to Matthew." He shook his head, "Speaking of…" He looked over as Punk put his hand up.

"I'm gonna pretend I don't know anything about it." Punk assured him, "And I'm gonna focus on getting these pricks who tried to kill your sister." He said as Dominic nodded.

"You're not like they were back then." Dominic shook his head, "At one point, the cops tried to blame it on Sofia." He nodded, "They suggested she arranged to hook up with the guys."

"We're not all bad." Punk reminded him as Dominic nodded.

"She likes you, you know." Dominic said, "Told me herself." He said, "Devastated that you dumped her." He said with anger in his tone.

"I didn't…" He paused, as he realised he did, "I was trying to look out for her, I thought it'd be for the best." Punk said, "I care about her too." Punk nodded.

"She's never had a boyfriend before." Dominic said, looking at AJ as she slept, "She told me it was because she didn't have time but… I know it was because she was afraid. Afraid of loving someone and then losing them, like she did with Sofia. Really affected her." He said.

"She's not gonna lose me." Punk shook his head, "I'm gonna be there for her." He promised. He already knew AJ wasn't like everyone else. She was special to him. Someone worth risking it all for. And he was starting to think he was falling in love with her.

"As long as you don't hurt her, I don't care what you do." Dominic said, "She deserves someone good, and I don't think you're too bad." He nodded as Punk just laughed and nodded.

"Well thanks." Punk nodded. Her brother didn't seem too bad once he was in a normal state of mind and a little calmer, "She's gonna be ok. She's the strongest person I know." He said.

"Yeah, she'll insist she go back to work tomorrow." Dominic shook his head, "I just… don't want her to be scared because they're still out there."

"I know, but they're not gonna harm her again, I'll make sure of it." Punk nodded, "We're on them hard this time. We know a little more about them than they did before. But I can't figure out for the life of me why they took so long with AJ. I mean, it could be something simple like… they were busy, or AJ stayed passed out longer than Sofia did." He said, "AJ said they were in and out of the room a lot."

"You think they were gonna do what they did to Sofia?" Dominic gulped.

"It… looks that way." Punk nodded, "We've figured they probably cut her hair to… make her look more like Sofia." He said, "Sometimes serial killers, when they kill again, it has to be the same every time or they freak out. Not that I'm saying that I know what they're thinking, I don't wanna know what they're thinking, but… everything looked the same in the room, everything besides from the ending, was the same."

"Did they… touch her or… force themselves on her?" Dominic asked.

"No, she was clear they didn't." Punk nodded, glad to be able to say that, "But she said she saw clothes in the bag… In Sofia's crime scene pictures, she was wearing different clothes than what she was taken in. She was just found in a white t-shirt and underwear… so I don't know if that was where they were going, I don't really wanna think about it. But clearly they changed their plans when they heard us coming." He said.

"Do you think it's still got to do with Mark in prison?" Dominic asked.

"I'm not sure. We know one of them went to see him but… whether or not he's conducting it all, I don't know." He said as Dominic nodded. He found it easy to talk to Punk and he didn't expect that.

"Well doctor says she can come home tomorrow." Dominic said, "If you have places to be, I can stay with her-"

"I can stay." Punk assured him, "I'll have to be out during the day but if she wants me to come see her later on, I'll be there for her." He nodded as Dominic nodded, "Have you called her parents?"

"No… our parents aren't exactly typical." Dominic said, "Mom wouldn't come over anyway, she hates flying. I figured they didn't need to know. I'm sure word will get around and they'll be told somehow." He said as Punk just nodded.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "You can go get some sleep if you want, I'll stay here with her."

"Yeah, I could do with that." Dominic sighed, running his hand over his face, "Thanks." He said as Punk nodded to him, watching him leave the hospital room as Punk turned back to AJ, taking a hold of her hand and watching her as she slept. She was beginning to mean the world to him, and this had scared him, almost losing her.

* * *

The next day, Dominic took AJ home whilst Punk was working with Dean. He told AJ in the morning that he would come over after work and see her. She still looked in shock of everything, and still very tired, but was glad to go home.

Punk spent the day with Dean just trying to collect everything they knew so far. Ian had granted them both an office with a board to use for everything they knew so far. He was impressed by not only their dedication but the fact they had saved a life in the process.

Dean told Punk to cut his shift early and go spend the night with AJ, to make sure she was doing ok. He was finishing up with things anyway, so Punk agreed and left the station.

He knocked on her door to which she came to immediately, "Hey." She smiled.

"Hi, how are you?" Punk asked her, walking on into the house.

"I'm ok." She nodded, sporting some sweats and a t-shirt, "Dominic has just left." She said, "If we spend too much time together we just end up fighting." She said as Punk smiled.

"Sounds like me and Cami." Punk nodded, "How you been feeling?" He asked her, following her into the living room and taking a seat with her on the couch.

"Ok. Still tired and not very hungry." She admitted, "I think it's just the shock of it all sinking in." She nodded. She didn't feel as shocked as she had, it was beginning to sink in and her brain was trying to figure out what ways were best to deal with it.

"Yeah you'll be wiped out mentally more than anything." Punk nodded.

"How are things going? Any… leads?" She asked, almost frightened to.

"No, nothing much." Punk sighed, "Ian gave us our own office so we spent the day just pinning things up, cancelling things out, looking at similarities."

"So you have me to thank for getting your own office? You're very welcome." AJ teased as Punk smiled. It was so good to see a little glimmer of herself back again.

"Yeah, thank you." Punk nodded as she smiled, "I uh… I guess I just want to apologise for the way I went about things, before all of this happened." He said, "I was just shocked and it felt easier to just shut you out than talk to you and work it out." He said as she nodded.

"I don't blame you." AJ said, "I just really missed you."

"I missed you too." Punk nodded, "For now, I… Greg's case, as harsh as it sounds, it's not important to me right now. There are four extremely dangerous men out there, and we need to focus our attention to that." He said as AJ nodded, "But I'd really like it if we could… restart this and forget about what happened… I don't wanna lose you." He told her truthfully. She deserved honesty, and what he honestly felt, was that he cared too much about her to push her away and pretend she didn't exist.

"I don't wanna lose you." She shook her head, cupping his cheek and leaning up to press a kiss on his lips softly as he kissed back.

* * *

They watched a movie and enjoyed some time on their own in the living room. AJ felt safe only with him. To have the assurance of him around again was a huge coping mechanism for her.

She eventually gave in and admitted she was tired, so she headed upstairs whilst he locked up downstairs. He headed up straight after, walking into her bedroom where he saw her stripping out of her clothes, looking across at him with eager eyes. She just wanted to disappear and lose herself with him.

He walked over to her, pressing his lips against hers, caressing her neck softly with his hand as they moved backwards slowly, until her legs hit the edge of the bed. She pulled back and lay down on the bed as he stripped his clothes off down to his boxers before climbing over her, pressing his lips back against hers as she ran her hands up his chest.

He trailed his hand down her stomach and inside her panties, parting her folds with his fingers and massaging her clit slowly as she bit her lip and rolled her head back whilst he took the opportunity to kiss her neck. She could feel him a lot more gentle. It normally hadn't been their style, but she was enjoying it so much and felt so relaxed and safe. It was what she needed.

"You ok?" He asked her whilst kissing her neck.

"Yes." AJ nodded, "Please, I want you inside of me." She said, tilting her head back down, taking his hand from out of her panties and pushing them down, "I need you." She said as he nodded.

He pushed his boxers off whilst she unhooked her bra off, wanting to feel completely naked against him, feeling him tease her with the tip of his length before pushing inside of her. She rolled her head back and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so she could press her lips against his, feeling him move in and out of her. They were slow but hard thrusts, pushing right against her g-spot which was already making her eyes roll back into her head.

"Phil." AJ moaned, grazing her teeth on his shoulder as he buried his face in her neck, kissing around her pulse point whilst thrusting in and out of her. She needed this more than anything. Being so close to him made her feel like everything was going to be ok, and that was important for her mental state. She was just glad they'd both realised their feelings, she wished it didn't have to take her almost dying, but she was glad they could see that they both wanted and needed each other, especially through all of this madness.


	31. The L Word

**The L Word**

* * *

After a night of holding each other close and making each other feel good, AJ and Punk both fell asleep, exhausted in each other's arms. It felt stupid that they were even considering ending this when it felt so right.

Punk wasn't a deep sleeper. He never had been and immediately woke up when he began to feel AJ moving around abnormally. He woke up, screwing his eyes up as he looked down at her mumbling in her sleep. She looked in distress, and he obviously knew she was having a bad dream.

He sat up against the headboard, "April." He said softly, watching her move around, "April." He said again, a little louder as she suddenly woke up, looking around the room and pushing herself up against the head board, clutching the sheets to her body and looking up at him, trying to find her whereabouts.

"Hey, you're ok." Punk nodded, running his hand down the back of her head slowly, "It's ok. You're safe." He said. It was only natural that she was suffering from PTSD after what had happened to her. He was just glad he could be there to tell her it'd be ok.

"I'm ok." AJ nodded to him as he kissed her head, feeling her cling to him.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked her, kissing the side of her head every few seconds, wrapping his arm around her as she relaxed a little against his body. He felt it was important to let her know she could talk to him about it, about how she was feeling.

"I was just… in that room again." She shook her head, "I just… it terrifies me that I just don't know what they look like. I thought that would be comforting, because it'd mean I wouldn't have to see their faces over and over again in my head, but… now all I see is these black figures." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"I know it's hard. You can't let it rule your life, though. We have to… get on. And I know that's easy for me to say, but I promise you, I won't let you get hurt." He said as she nodded, looking up at him.

"I know that." She said, taking his chin softly between her thumb and forefinger, "I love you." She said, looking up at him. It just came out. It was how she felt, staring up at him in his arms, she hadn't planned it or predicted it, she just said it because that's how she felt. She was in love with him.

There was a pause for a few moments as they looked at one another, and it didn't take Punk a lot of thinking to reply, "I love you too." He nodded. He wouldn't have said it back if he didn't feel it. And he did. Holding her here, looking down at her, the feelings that had developed for her over time, he knew he loved her.

AJ smiled, leaning up and kissing him softly, cupping his cheek, pulling back and smiling, "You're the only thing getting me through this." She admitted, "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." She said. She wasn't the girl who depended on other people, she never had been, but in this case, having him here for her, it really was the only thing keeping her stable. She didn't know how she would be without him by her side, and she didn't want him to ever leave.

"You're strong." Punk whispered, "And they didn't win. They're not going to." He reminded her, "They know we're onto them." He said, "Things are different this time." He assured her as she nodded.

"I just wish someone could have got to Sofia in time." AJ shook her head, resting it against his shoulder as he nodded.

"Yeah, I do too." Punk nodded, "You can't think like that, though. They won't get away with this anymore." He said, "And you're gonna be ok." He nodded as she looked up at him, pressing her lips back against his again, this time straddling herself over him, pushing the sheets away and caressing her hands on his neck as she kissed him, slowly moving her hand down between them to stroke him up and down, smiling against the kiss as he began to moan, rekindling their love as he aimed to brush away all those bad dreams for her.

* * *

"How is AJ doing?" Dean asked as Punk walked into their own office the next morning where Dean was already there with a coffee waiting for him.

"She's doing ok. Obviously still on her mind, what she's been through." He said, "I left her sleeping and her brother was going back over to see how she was." He said.

"You spending every night with her now?" Dean smirked.

"If she wants me to." Punk shrugged as Dean wiggled his eyebrows, "Oh, go away." He rolled his eyes.

"It's so weird seeing you in a relationship. I mean… you are in a relationship now, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Yeah." Punk nodded.

"She really must be special. If you would have told me that it'd be Mendez you ended up getting whipped by, I'd tell you to go fuck off." He chuckled to himself as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Anything I should know?" Punk asked him, taking the coffee and taking a sip.

"Uh yeah, ok so they've finished looking at the room. Because of the gloves and the masks, no DNA was found, no fingerprints, no hairs, beside AJs, nothing." Dean said, "Spoke to the lady at the check in desk, she said nothing seemed suspicious, one guy checked into the room using his ID, she said they looked similar and she admitted to not really looking at it carefully, or him." Dean sighed.

"So how did they get AJ to the motel?" Punk asked.

"That's what we were looking at last night and we found a slip road off the back of the motel. They must have parked there and… carried her down and into the back of the motel. They chose that motel because it doesn't have CCTV in the rows of the rooms, just in the car park, you'd think after Sofia they would have put some in." He shook his head, "That's how I assume they got into the room."

"Well then they must have left that way too. Wasn't that slip road investigated when Sofia died then? I don't remember coming across it." Punk said, taking a seat.

"Wasn't there. It was built after she died, so they must have used it for the first time with AJ. There's cops out following it, seeing which directions they could have went in but, in a car they could have escaped to anywhere."

"I think the thing that's fucking with AJ most is the fact she didn't see any of their faces or hear any of their voices." Punk said, "I mean… they gotta be fucked up to pull that kind of shit." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I think we got some serious psychopaths on our hands." Dean said, "I was wondering if it'd be worthwhile going and talking to Mark in prison again, to see if he cracks or says anything."

"He didn't say shit the last time." Punk said, "What would be the point?"

"I know but we'd be able to ready by his face if he knew these fuckers were going to try hurt AJ or not." Dean said, "I think we should start back tracking on him, see if we can link anything from him to them. Someone must have seen these four assholes at one point, their faces, their names… they can't just be invisible." He shook his head.

"I know." Punk nodded, "Yeah, maybe we should try and go back. I mean they gotta be someone." He said, "Teresa, Mark's wife said Mark worked in a factory so maybe we should get the scope on that, see what kind of business he got up to there before going to prison, see who he worked with, that sort of thing." He said as Dean nodded just as Ian walked into the office.

"Hey." Dean said unhappily, "If we gotta knock on your office door, you gotta knock on ours." He said with a chip on his shoulder as Ian laughed and backed up, closing the door back over and knocking.

"Fuck off." Punk told him after he knocked as him and Dean chuckled.

"Idiots." Ian scoffed as he opened the door back up and walked in, "I was just in actually to see how AJ was doing?" Ian turned to Punk, giving him the same smirk which Dean have given him earlier.

"Does everyone know?" Punk shook his head.

"Word gets around." Ian said, "I'm not surprised about it. You're both super annoying so it actually makes sense."

"Shut up." Punk shook his head.

"I'm serious though, is she ok? How is she holding up?" Ian asked, "Everyone is asking about her.

"She's doing ok. She's strong. She just needs a bit of space and time." Punk nodded.

"Understandable." Ian said, "How you both getting on? If you do me proud maybe I'll think about giving you this office permanently." He said.

"We're gonna go back in time again." Dean said, "These guys can't just be invisible. Mark knows them, and if he doesn't want to tell us how then we need to find out somehow." He said.

"I don't envy you both." Ian said, "Good luck. You are both doing good." He nodded to them, leaving the office as Punk turned back to Dean who rested his forehead on the table and groaned.

"Why won't this coffee work?" He groaned loudly as Punk looked at him.

"Just so you know, me and AJ banged on that table." Punk said as Dean quickly lifted his head up, almost giving himself whiplash.

"Dude." Dean screwed his face.

"It's what you deserve for blabbing about us to everyone." Punk told him as Dean just cringed as he looked at the table, rolling back on his chair, taking his coffee with him.

* * *

"Maybe I was wrong about him." Dominic said, standing in AJ's kitchen making lunch whilst AJ sat at the table. She found herself often dazing out into her own little thoughts. She put it down to her being tired and also her mind spinning.

"Who?" AJ shook her head, turning over to him.

"Phil." Dominic said, "He actually seems ok. Not your typical cop."

"Well I'm glad you approve of him." AJ shook her head, "You know you don't have to come babysit me every day." She said, "I appreciate the company but if you have things to do."

"I don't." Dominic laughed, walking over to the table with some sandwiches for them and a cup of coffee for AJ, "You get a good sleep last night?"

"It was ok." AJ nodded, not going into detail of course, "Phil stayed so… it wasn't bad."

"You want him to stay every night?" Dominic assumed.

"Just for a few days, until I feel ok to be on my own at night." She nodded.

"So what… you two are… ok now?" Dominic asked her.

"Yeah, I think so." AJ nodded, "We just… hit a bump." She said, "And he… he's not gonna say anything about Matthew, I trust him. He's just focusing on those four guys." She said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, he's not a bad guy." Dominic said, "You really like him, huh?" He smiled, noticing his sister really did like Punk, he could tell, he knew her well enough.

"Yeah I do." AJ nodded.

"Then don't hold back. I know that's ridiculous coming from me, your brother, but… if you've got something good, don't be scared, clearly he cares about you which is enough for me. I mean, he saved your life, I owe the guy at this point." Dominic said, "But don't hold back, trust your feelings." He said as AJ nodded and smiled.

"Thank you for being here with me." AJ smiled, appreciating her brother support as well as everyone elses.

"Things will get better, ok?" Dominic nodded to her as she smiled softly. She had to believe that to get her through.


	32. Too Soon

**Too Soon**

* * *

After a few days at home, AJ was eager to start getting back to her normal life. She was never the type to sit and let her fears get inside her head. She wanted to get back to work and back to normality, because she knew it would help her move on and at least attempt to get over what had happened. She knew it wasn't something that could just be easily gotten over, but she couldn't stand it to sit around doing nothing all day being checked on by her brother.

Punk had been staying every night with her and things felt that right, warm way again, where she felt safe. She knew feeling safe was so important for her so it meant a lot that he was spending time with her after his shifts. She knew he and Dean were really drilling down on the case. They were determined, and she could see Punk was even more determined after what had happened to her.

"Why are you up so early?" Punk asked her, lying in her bed on his stomach with his face squashed against the pillow, one eye opened watching her walk around the room to get ready.

"I have a hairdressers appointment." AJ told him, "I need this fixed." She pointed to her hair which was uneven and irritating her.

"Do you want me to drop you off?" Punk asked her.

"No, it's fine." AJ smiled. She was glad they were resuming their relationship and taking it more seriously this time, they had a lot of love for each other and it showed. She was glad to have him by her side throughout this, "You should go back to sleep. You're not getting enough of it." She told him.

"I'm fine." Punk said tiredly, even though he knew deep down she was right. He was pretty exhausted, especially when he and AJ wouldn't fall asleep until late hours of the morning because of particular activities in the bedroom, "Are you sure you're ok to go out? You can wait a while. Your hair isn't that bad." He told her.

"Phil, it's terrible." She said, "And I can't stay locked up in the house forever. I'm not letting this take over my life any more than it already has. I'm going back to work tomorrow." She told him.

"You really are a different species." Punk said, turning around on his back as AJ smiled, walking over to him and sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him.

"I just don't want to give in." AJ shook her head, "And I can't sit around thinking about it, that's not gonna help me." She said as he nodded, rubbing her arm softly, "Best thing for me is to just… get back to my life. Like you said, they're probably spooked, they know they're gonna be caught if they try anything again." She said, "I'm ok." She nodded. It was of course on her mind, something like that always would, but she was wise enough and strong enough to know she couldn't let it keep her down.

"You're amazing." Punk nodded as she smiled, "Are you walking to the hairdressers?"

"Yeah." AJ said, "And then I'll come back and get stuck into a case I've been asked for, I'll read up on it and then I have a meeting with my client tomorrow." She told him, "I just want things to be normal… so we can… maybe keep moving forward." She said as he nodded.

"I mean… we still need to go on a date." Punk laughed a little as she smiled and nodded.

"I'm expecting big things." She said as he smiled.

"I'll try put in a good shift." He teased as she smiled, leaning forward and kissing him softly. He'd became this person that she felt like she'd been waiting for the whole time, as cliché as it sounded.

"Don't start anything. I have an appointment." AJ told him, pulling back from the kiss as she felt him try to pull her onto him.

"I'm awake now." Punk moaned like a child, "So is someone else." He said as AJ laughed a little, looking over at the clock and nodded.

"Make it quick." She smiled, climbing over him and pressing her lips against his. They weren't letting what happened take away anything from their relationship and moving forward with it. They were serious about it this time and they knew they wanted it.

* * *

Punk eventually headed out to the station whilst AJ had gone to the hairdressers. He was glad she was taking charge of things and pushing forward. He always knew she was a strong individual, even when all they done was tease one another for years, but he never quite knew she was this strong. In a way it gave him strength.

"How is she doing?" Dean asked, standing in their office, separating some notes. Their crime board had gotten full with so many notes and dead ends. Anyone who walked in would have thought they were going out of their mind.

"She's away to the hairdressers and then going back to work, she's got a client she's representing." Punk nodded.

"That soon?" Dean raised his eyebrows.

"She doesn't wanna sit around thinking about it, and I get her. She just wants to move forward." Punk said, "She's strong, that's for sure."

"Yeah." Dean agreed, "And how are things going… with you two?" Dean asked curiously.

"Good." Punk nodded, "We've laid it all on the line now and… we both want the same thing." He said, "I think I'm gonna ask her on a date, a proper one." He said.

"I still can't believe you're together." Dean shook his head, "Never would have predicted that in my life." He said as Punk just laughed a little.

"Me neither until I got closer to her. She's not like you think she is. She's not had it easy." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"I'm happy for you." Dean said, "She must be really special to tame your stupid ass." He shook his head as Punk rolled his eyes, "Ok so I got those two guys coming in to talk to us, the ones who used to work with Mark in the factory back when Sofia was killed."

"Do you think they'll have anything?" Punk asked.

"I'm hoping they do." Dean said, pinning the two guys photographs on the board and drawing arrows in the direction of Marks picture, whilst scribbling some notes underneath.

"You like the board a little too much." Punk noticed.

"You're right. I do." Dean nodded casually, throwing the pen back down.

"When are these guys coming in?" Punk asked, sitting down on the seat across from the desk.

"Afternoon they said. Forensics are still going to town on things from the room. I wanna tell them they're wasting their time but… I guess it feels good to have a team effort." He said.

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "I think everyone has now realised that me and you haven't just been wasting our time looking into it. Those bastards are out there. And they're gonna pay for what they did." He nodded, "One way or the other." He mumbled as Dean nodded.

* * *

"Ok, what are we doing with this… mop?" Jack, AJ's hairdresser asked as he ran his hands through her hair.

"I just… want it cut properly." AJ laughed a little, looking at him through the mirror.

"Yeah, this just won't do." Jack shook his head, "Ok, let's get it washed and dried first and then I'll even it out." He said, rubbing her shoulders softly as AJ smiled and nodded. She obviously knew that most people close to her were aware of what she'd been through. A kind rub on the shoulder was much better than someone asking her if she was ok, in her opinion.

Normally a trip to the hairdressers wasn't something she enjoyed at all, but she managed to relax and enjoy it the best she could. She was offered a coffee and a magazine whilst her long-term hairdresser went to work on drying her hair.

"You know it's actually still long, just shows how long your hair really was" Jack said, sitting the hairdryer down along the counter as AJ nodded, "It'll still be past your shoulders."

"Mhm." AJ nodded, "Do you think I should get bangs?"

"No, honey. Don't let yourself go there." Jack put his hand on his chest with shock, "No I can trim this up, keep your dark hair colour it brings out your eyes." He nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." AJ nodded.

"Ok, put your head down for me." Jack said, tilting AJ's head down a little, grabbing the scissors as AJ suddenly froze with fear. Flashes started coming at her from in that motel room. Her head being forced down, feeling the scissors glide along her hair. She was suddenly finding it hard to breathe, gripping the chair.

"I uh…" AJ began to shift around in the chair, not knowing what to say as Jack looked on at her through the mirror.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked.

"N-No… I… I need some fresh air." AJ shook her head, taking the gown off and immediately heading for the door, stepping outside and placing her hands on her hips as she tried to take deep breaths, feeling her breathing heavy and hard to catch, continuing to feel the scissors running over her hair, the heavy hand pushing her head down.

"AJ." Jack walked out of the door, "AJ, are you ok?" He asked worriedly as she shook her head, trying not to cry.

"I can't… I can't breathe." AJ shook her head, waving her hand in front of her, feeling like all the oxygen was leaving the world.

"Ok, sit down here." Jack said worriedly, guiding over to the little wall in front of the hair salon window, "Ok, just take deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth." He nodded as AJ tried her best to follow, "That's it. Just nice and slow. Remember you're ok." He emphasised as AJ nodded, still finding it hard to catch a breath, "Is there someone I can phone for you?" He asked, clearly seeing that she was in not fit shape.

AJ was automatically going to say no as default, and then realised she did have people around her that cared about her and that she wanted to come collect her.

"My boyfriend." AJ gasped, "Just… call the police station.. ask for Phil Brooks." She said.

"Ok." Jack nodded, "And I'm gonna get you some water. Just keep breathing nice and slow in and out." He said, rushing back into the salon as AJ tried her best to gather herself.

* * *

Jack stayed outside with AJ who had begun to calm down after breathing properly and having a few sips of water. Punk arrived within minutes right away, stepping out of the car and approaching her.

"Hey, are you ok?" Punk asked worriedly as AJ shook her head and stood up, wrapping her arms around him desperately as he hugged her back, "It's ok." He sighed, rubbing her back softly.

"AJ, you just let me know when you're ready. I could even come to your house." Jack nodded as AJ turned around, "I'm sorry." He said.

"Oh, no. it's not your fault." AJ shook her head, "Thank you." She nodded, appreciative of his support and help for the past few minutes.

"Yeah, thanks for calling me." Punk nodded as Jack just smiled.

"I hope you feel better." Jack said, rubbing AJ's arm before walking back into the salon as AJ turned back around into Punk's chest.

"Please can you take me home?" AJ asked, muffled against Punk's chest as he sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, c'mon. Let's go." He said, walking back to the car, opening the door for her as she got in slowly, looking on at her as her hands shook on her lap, sighing as he closed her door over and walked around to his side. She was a strong individual, but that didn't cancel out the trauma that was clearly still within her.


	33. Taken Care Of

**Taken Care Of**

* * *

"Are you ok?" Punk asked, getting into the house with AJ. She hadn't said a word on their way home. He didn't expect her to. She'd clearly jumped back into things way too quickly, and he didn't blame her for having flashes of what happened to her pop back into her head.

"I'm ok." AJ nodded, feeling a little calmer, sitting down on her sofa, "I shouldn't have called you out of work, I should have thought-"

"Hey, it's fine." Punk said, "I'm glad you called me." He said, "I can tell Dean to take the interviews this afternoon. I don't need to be there. I can stay here-"

"No, Phil." AJ shook her head tiredly, "No, I'm not keeping you here imprisoned with me." She sighed, "I'll be ok. I just… lost myself for a little bit." She told him as Punk looked over at her.

"Please don't beat yourself up about it." Punk sighed, it was the last thing he wanted. She had to remember that she had been through something completely traumatic. It would have been abnormal for her to carry on without a care in the world. It was great she had the strength to attempt to do so, but it didn't erase what happened from her mind.

"I'm not. I'm just frustrated. I thought I was fine and then… Jack started cutting my hair and I was back there. I felt like I couldn't get a breath." She shook her head as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"You had a panic attack." Punk told her as she nodded.

"I know." AJ smiled a little, "I've had them before." She said, "Maybe not as bad as that I suppose." She said quietly.

"I just want to make sure you know you can talk to me about how you're feeling. You don't have to push yourself. Work can wait. I know you're frustrated but… you gotta let your mind catch up with your body." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I just thought… going back out, just trying to move on quickly would… make me feel better." She nodded, "It didn't." She laughed to herself as he placed a hand on her knee.

"That doesn't mean it won't get better." Punk said, "Just give it some time, ease back into things." He said as AJ nodded.

"Thank you for… coming to get me. I didn't know who else to call." She admitted, "I would have called my brother but he would have… yelled at me for going out so soon."

"It's not even about… not being able to go out." Punk said, "You don't have to be bound to your house, just take it easy on yourself, there's no rush." He said as she nodded. She needed someone to remind herself of all these things, and he did it in such a calming way that made her feel better, "I can stay with you, it's not a big deal." He said.

"No, you go back. You said you might get a break through with these guys." AJ nodded to him, "I'll be ok. I promise. I think I'm gonna… take a nap." She said as he nodded.

"I'll come over after my shift and have dinner." He said as she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." AJ smiled and nodded, leaning up and pressing her lips against as he kissed back. He just wanted her not to feel alone and certainly not to feel any pressure on herself to jump back into everyday life. What had happened to her was terrifying and she was allowed to treat the situation with respect and care, otherwise repeats of today would continue to happen.

* * *

"Everything ok?" Dean asked, waiting outside their office for Punk who eventually got back to the station.

"Yeah, fine." Punk nodded. He told Dean a lot, but things which were close between he and AJ, he didn't bring up.

"Ok, well they're already in." Dean nodded to their office door.

"Ok, let's ask some questions then." Punk nodded, walking into the office as Dean followed behind, "Gentlemen." He greeted the two older men whom they had no suspicions about but wanted to seek any information they had on Mark which could ultimately lead them to Sofia's killers.

"This is Paul and Tim." Dean said, introducing Punk since he had already introduced himself.

"Thanks for your time, guys." Punk nodded, shaking their hands, sitting down behind the desk whilst Dean sat beside, "You guys weren't interviewed when Mark was arrested and put in prison, were you?"

"No." Paul shook his head. They were older guys who just wanted to share whatever information they could about their time working with Mark, "No one ever came by to even look around the factory." Paul said as Tim nodded in agreement, "The cops caught onto the fact that it was Mark's cover up job, so they figured there was nothing worth looking into it."

"Idiots." Dean mumbled under his breath.

"What was Mark like?" Punk asked as Paul and Tim glanced at each other, wondering who was going to speak first.

"He was intense." Tim nodded, "Never really got to know anyone in the factory. We were all pretty similar. Same kind of backgrounds. Family men who made the most of the rotten work we had to do." He said, "Mark was different. He was blunt. Harsh sometimes." Tim said as Punk nodded.

"Ever have conversation with him?" Dean asked.

"I'm sure we did." Paul said, "It was so long ago but… we definitely had some conversations. I can just always remember them being intense." He nodded, "I mean we knew for sure he had a few screws missing but… we didn't treat him differently."

"Did he ever talk about… other friends he had or the other job he took part in? Illegally?" Punk asked.

"He never talked about the job." Paul said, "But we figured he did have some other job because he would always rush out the door, particularly at the weekends. He would work ten times quicker so he could get away quicker." He said.

"But he never said anything about having another job?" Dean asked.

"No, he never actually mentioned it." Paul said.

"And what about friends? Did he have any outside of work?" Punk asked.

"He didn't have any inside work." Tim said, "He didn't mention any friends. Pretty much everything outside of the job he worked with us, he didn't speak about, sometimes he'd have a moan about his wife and kids, but everything else outside the factory, he didn't speak about." He nodded.

"Did he ever take… long excessive time off work from the factory?" Dean asked.

"Uh yeah actually." Tim turned to Paul, "Remember when he said something about Milwaukee?" He asked his friend as Punk and Dean looked across at them.

"Oh, yeah." Paul nodded, "He went to Milwaukee with his family for like a whole month." He said.

"With his wife and kids?" Punk asked as Paul nodded.

"So he told us, well, he told us when he got back. We all thought he'd gotten sacked or something." Tim said, "It just seemed sudden, you know?" He said as Punk and Dean nodded slowly.

* * *

Tim and Paul stayed at the office for a little while longer, talking to Punk and Dean about Mark in the workplace. Punk and Dean felt like they'd gotten everything out of them that they needed, and thanked them both for their time and the information they'd given. It had made a difference and gave them a new found road.

"Milwaukee? What'd you reckon is there?" Dean asked, sitting on the desk whilst Punk leaned back on the chair, both of them looking at the board behind the desk with all their notes attached to it.

"Maybe our killers?" Punk hummed, tapping his pen against the desk, "I wanna go ask his wife Teresa if she actually went to Milwaukee with him." Punk said, "Then we can rule out that he was definitely hiding something and going there for something else. Paul said it happened before the Christmas of 05." Punk said, drawing up on the board, "Sofia died in the May 06, so shit was definitely going on." He nodded.

"You think Teresa would come in and speak to us?" Dean asked.

"I'd probably need to go speak to her." Punk rolled his eyes, "I can go tomorrow morning. I promised I would have dinner with AJ." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Dean said, "How is April doing? I can't imagine how she's feeling." He said.

"Yeah, she's finding it a little tough." Punk nodded, "But she'll be ok. With a little a bit of time." He said as Dean nodded.

"When you taking her out on this date then?" Dean smiled.

"Soon hopefully. I'll leave it up to her when she wants to go. Obviously she's got a lot going on." Punk said.

"Maybe I could introduce her to Lia, you guys could come over one night. I don't imagine them ever getting on but… you never know." Dean shrugged.

"That'd be good." Punk nodded, "I'd give it a little while though. I think she just needs to take a minute. She's like me. Whenever she's faced with a problem she wants to just jump into it and hope it goes away by facing it, but… this has to be different. Especially when it's so personal to her with Sofia." He shook his head.

"Hey, you're doing everything, you're being there for her, taking… taking care of her." Dean smiled, "She'll appreciate it." He nodded as Punk just smiled.

"Ok, I'll go visit Teresa in the morning and then I'll get you here straight after, ok?" He said, giving Dean a fist bump before leaving the office to head to AJ's.

* * *

He drove to AJ's and got into the house. He knew where she hide her spare key outside to make it easier for him to get in instead of knocking and waiting. He got into the house and took his jacket off, looking around downstairs and not finding her anywhere.

He then headed upstairs, walking into the bedroom where he saw her crashed out on top of the covers fast asleep, causing him to smile. He hated seeing her frustrated and anxious, but he knew all he could do was be there for her, he wanted to be there for her as much as she'd let him.

He pulled the covers back gently from the bed and tucked her legs inside, pulling the covers up and over her, brushing her hair from her face as he watched her sleep. It scared him how in love he was with her. It was indescribable, all he wanted to do was protect her and hold her and keep her safe, and also make her happy too. The shock of actually finding a partner in one another had sunk in to the point where they could now start to enjoy their time together.

He just hoped she could recover from what happened and let him in.

He gave her a kiss on the head softly before leaving the room and heading downstairs.


	34. Off Topic

**Off Topic**

* * *

"He told me he was going on a business trip." Teresa said, sitting across from Punk in her apartment which he had visited again the next morning.

"With the factory he worked with?" Punk asked.

"That's what he says. I remember arguing with him about it, because it was so close to Christmas." She shook her head, "He went on it anyway."

"Well he told the people he worked with that he was going with you and your kids. That it was a last minute vacation." Punk said as Teresa chuckled and shook her head.

"He'd never take us on a vacation." She shook her head.

"So he just up and left?" Punk asked.

"He said a couple of days before he left that he was going. I didn't question it. I thought it was just business." Teresa nodded.

"Was he doing anything strange leading up to leaving?" Punk asked her.

"No nothing out of the ordinary. He'd go to work, come home, go out with his friends-"

"Who you knew nothing about?" Punk asked.

"I didn't care to know." Teresa said, "And he made it pretty clear that the time he spent with them out of the house was no one's business, so I didn't ask." She said.

"Can you remember the date he left for Milwaukee?" Punk asked her.

"Not the exact date. I know it was the first week in December." She told him, "You think he was with those bad people? That's who he was with?"

"It's looking likely." Punk nodded, "Listen, if you remember anything else, even if you don't think it'd be important, you'll give me a call, right?" He stood up as Teresa nodded.

"Yeah, I will." Teresa nodded.

* * *

"Teresa said Mark told her he was going on a business trip. Left the first week in December. She didn't ask questions because he made it pretty clear to her, not to ask them." Punk shrugged, standing in the office with Dean.

"So all we know is he mysteriously disappeared to Milwaukee for a few weeks, left the first week in December, told different stories to his wife and his work." Dean nodded, "Milwaukee is a big place. What are we supposed to do? Look around it?" He arched a brow, "Did Teresa say how he got there? Did he drive or get the train?"

"He drove." Punk nodded, "In the same car that we checked, plates are erased and there's nothing on the system before you suggest anything." He said.

"What about credit cards?" Dean put his hand in the air, "Is that nerd with the computer in today?" He asked as Punk crept over to the office window, pulling a blind down and looking out into the offices.

"Can't see him." Punk said, "He hates us. He wouldn't help us."

"Well he knows how to find out these things, get into people's shit from years ago. We need him." Dean said, "Go ask him." He waved his hand.

"Why do I need to do it?" Punk whined like a child.

"Because he likes you better than me." Dean said, "Go ask him hurry up." He said as Punk shook his head and left the office, walking down the rows of offices, spotting the guy they were looking for sitting in the corner at his desk with his computer. He was a tech genius and a real asset to the force for sure, but him and Dean had never gotten on well with him exactly.

"Hey, Seth." Punk smiled cheerfully, approaching the front of the desk.

"Whatever you want, no." Seth said without even lifting his head. He was a quiet guy who kept himself to himself. He didn't wear a uniform, just his own clothes with some big glasses and for some reason he had his hair half black and half blonde.

"You haven't even listened to me." Punk laughed.

"Because you annoy me." Seth said, still not looking up, "And I got other work."

"You'd be really helping me out, man." Punk said, "You know we're working on this case where that girl was murdered."

"Yeah, I do. Not getting very far, though, are you?" Seth finally looked up as Punk looked at him and made an obvious fake laugh.

"Ok, funny." Punk said, "C'mon, you're the only guy I know for the job." He said as Seth rolled his eyes and sat back on his chair, folding his arms.

"What?" Seth asked angrily.

"Ok, we got a name of this guy, he's in prison right now, he made a trip to Milwaukee twelve years ago, would you be able to get a hold of his credit cards from then and check up on them to see if we can figure out where about in Milwaukee he actually was?" Punk asked.

"Well cancelled credit cards take me a little longer." Seth groaned a little, "I'll need a detailed profile on him." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, ok. I can get you that. I can bring you his records." Punk nodded, "So you'll help?" He grinned.

"For the poor girl that was killed and that lawyer girl, sure." Seth said, "Not for you and your hobo friend." He shook his head.

"I could kiss you." Punk smiled with relief.

"Don't come near me." Seth put his hand up as Punk nodded.

"I'll bring you his records." Punk nodded, walking off back down the desks and into the office he and Dean were working in.

"What did the little prick say?" Dean asked.

"He's gonna help." Punk nodded, "Give me the profile on Mark." He pointed.

"That was quick." Dean nodded, impressed, passing over the folder to Punk who nodded.

"He called you a hobo." Punk said, quickly leaving the office as Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Dominic asked, sitting on AJ's couch where he'd come to visit her.

"I'm ok." AJ nodded, sitting down his coffee on the table, taking a seat across from him with her own coffee, "After yesterday's events I've decided that I'm going to take my time. No one is pressuring me to get over this as much as I am so… I've had several talks with myself." She nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Telling yourself off were you?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." AJ nodded.

"What happened yesterday?" Dominic asked her curiously.

"I went to the hairdressers. I was planning to get my hair fixed and then do some work but… when I was getting my hair done I just… freaked out." She shook her head, "I had a panic attack, had to get Phil to come pick me up and take me home." She nodded.

"April." Dominic sighed.

"I know, look… I know there's no rush. I just thought that if I got back into my routine, back to my life, things would… go away." She shrugged, "But it's obvious that's not the case here."

"I don't think you realise the severity of what happened to you. I mean… you can say, oh it could have been worse, but… you were taken by these men and almost killed. That's not something you bounce back from the next day." He shook his head, "You need to take it easy on yourself. I know you, you're your biggest enemy in cases like this. You're harsh on yourself. But now isn't the time for that." Dominic shook his head.

"I know." AJ nodded, "I came home and went to sleep, didn't wake up until this morning. Didn't hear Phil coming in or leaving this morning." She said, "I was just exhausted from reliving it all."

"Promise me you'll not push this?" Dominic sighed.

"I promise." AJ nodded, "I know I need to be softer on myself. I just thought it'd be the best way to get over it, you know?" She sighed.

"Yeah." Dominic sighed, "Phil… does he… stay here every night?" He asked her.

"I ask him to." AJ nodded, "Especially these past few days." She said.

"Jeez, next he'll be moving in." Dominic raised his eyebrows as AJ smiled.

"No, he won't." AJ smiled, "We've not even had a date yet." She shook her head, "Our relationship has been very… all over the place."

"Well if you can face the challenges this early must mean something is right." He nodded as AJ smiled, "Has he said anything about… what they're looking into?"

"They're going in on Mark, in prison, seeing what they can find on him, if it could lead them to the guys." AJ nodded, "Nothing has come up so far." She said.

"And what about Greg's case?" Dominic asked.

"I trust Phil, Dominic. If he tells me something, I believe him. And you know there's very few people in the world I trust. He's not going to say anything." She said as Dominic nodded.

"You really like him, huh?" Dominic smiled as AJ nodded, "Never thought it'd be a cop that stole your heart." He laughed a little, "Won't your work clash with his, when you go back?"

"Some of it but… we'll deal with it. I'm not worried about it." AJ shook her head as Dominic nodded.

"So… I'm gonna go back to Puerto Rico, April." Dominic said as AJ looked across at him, "I was gonna stay longer, until you needed me but… I don't think you do. You have Phil. He's here with you and… to be honest, that helps me out a bit." He admitted, "And now I know that Matthew is out of danger-"

"That's the only reason you were here anyway." AJ said bitterly, turning away from him and taking a sip of her coffee.

"I was here to see you too." Dominic said, "And if it wasn't for you shacking up with a scary cop, I'd stay longer, but you're safe here and you don't need me." He said, "I'll call like I always do, but my life is in Puerto Rico. My job, my friends, family…" He said as AJ just nodded.

"Yeah, sure." AJ nodded.

"C'mon, don't be mad with me. You and I can't be around each other for too long anyway we just start fighting." He laughed a little as AJ looked over at him, "You're gonna be ok. They're gonna catch those bastards, and until they do, you're safe, they're not gonna come out of the woodwork again when they know the cops are quicker than they were before." Dominic said, "You're the strongest person I know, and once you give yourself some time to digest what's happened, you'll be back out there… defending the innocent and… maybe not so innocent." He said as AJ smiled.

"Don't make me sound like a hypocrite." AJ rolled her eyes.

"I know you always have your reasons." Dominic nodded, "You're gonna be ok, April. I know it." He said as she just smiled and nodded, sitting her coffee down and walking over to him for a hug.

* * *

"How long will he take to do this?" Dean asked Punk, standing outside the police station with him after their shift.

"He didn't say. Not long probably. The guy is a tech geek." Punk said as Dean cringed and waved his hand in front of his neck as Punk turned around and saw Seth standing who had just got out of the station.

"You both annoy me so much." Seth shook his head, holding his backpack and walking off.

"We love you!" Dean yelled as Punk rolled his eyes.

"He shouldn't be too long with it. If something comes up, it means we're taking a trip to Milwaukee." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"And how'd you feel about that?" Dean asked him.

"Well… AJ kinda needs me right now, I woudn't wanna just leave her. I suppose her brother is here." Punk nodded to himself.

"It'd only be for a day. We could travel early in the morning and come back. It's not long." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose." Punk nodded, "I just hope it's not another dead end waiting for us." He shook his head.

"Yeah, you and me both." Dean said, "Alright, I'm gonna shoot. See you tomorrow." He nodded, getting into his car and driving off whilst Punk got into his.

He couldn't wait to get home and see AJ. She made life so much more than just his job for him. He'd never had someone to go home to after a long day, and a part of him could only see himself going home to her.

He got into the car and headed off onto the road to go home, taking the slip roads instead so he could beat the traffic. He was stopped at the traffic lights at a cross road on his way, slowing down and waiting patiently, so much going through his mind as he waited.

He then watched, as if it all played out in slow motion, as a someone appeared from one side of the road on a bike, clashing with a car coming from the other side, knocking the person completely off of his bike and onto the road as Punk jumped a little at the impact, not believing what he had saw.

He got out of the car immediately, expecting the driver in the car to get out, but watching in shock as it quickly sped away from the scene.

"Hey!" He yelled, running over to where he could see the person lying on the ground. It wasn't until he got up close when he saw it was a kid, placing his hand over his mouth and quickly reaching for his speaker.

"480." Punk spoke to the speaker, "Uh… on the slip road from the main street." He said, "It's a kid. Maybe 13 or 14." Punk nodded, "Boy." He looked closely, "No helmet." He spoke.

The thing with being a cop, was that with events and tragedies happening out of the blue, he felt the responsibility of them immediately.

He placed his two fingers on the kids neck, thankful to find a pulse, speaking back into the speaker, "He's got a pulse. I need someone here now!" He yelled frantically, hearing a response that there were people on the way.


	35. Overload

**Overload**

* * *

Punk sat in the hospital waiting room with some dried in blood in his hands from finding the wounds on the kid he'd just witnessed get hit by a car, a car which sped away right after it. He'd saw some horrific things in his policing career and this was definitely up there with it.

He didn't find out the boy's name, so no family had been contacted as of yet and Punk felt like he had to stay for this kid, at least until his parents had come. It was never easy to see anyone get hurt, but to see a kid, it was horrible.

"Hey, are you… are you dealing with the little kid who got hit by a car?" Punk asked a passing doctor, "I… I don't know his name." He shook his head.

"His name is Jack. We found school books in his backpack. His family has been contacted." The doctor said as Punk stood up.

"Is he ok? What-What's the injuries? I was there, I saw it." Punk said.

"He has… terrible injuries to his head. He's in a coma." The doctor nodded, "The bleeding has been stopped and he's stable but… depending on machinery." She told him as Punk sighed to himself.

"And his parents have been called?" Punk asked as the doctor nodded.

"Yeah, they're on their way." The doctor said, "He's lucky you were there when you were. That road can be quiet at night, could have laid there for quite a while." She said as Punk sighed and nodded.

"Yeah and the bastards just drove away." Punk shook his head angrily, "I didn't get the plate, barely got what the car was." He placed his hand on his forehead, mad with himself.

"I think you were in shock. Just because you're a cop, no one expects you to be used to that sort of thing. But you did everything right. You've clearly been in the field a while." She said as Punk just nodded and smiled.

"What age is the kid?" Punk asked her.

"Well we managed to figure out he's in 6th grade so probably about eleven." The doctor nodded as Punk sighed to himself, "Main question is why he was out on his bike at that time, on his own, especially down a road like that."

"Now ain't the time to grill the poor boy." Punk shook his head.

"I know I'm just… curious." The doctor said as Punk suddenly heard commotion come from down the corridor, turning around and watching the obvious parents rush down.

"Where is our son?" The woman asked desperately.

"I will take you to him." The doctor nodded, leading them off down the corridor as Punk watched with a sigh, running his hand over his hair and shaking his head.

* * *

"April?" Punk called out, walking into her house, "You down here?" He asked.

"Kitchen." AJ called as Punk took his jacket off, throwing it over the stairs and walking through to the kitchen where AJ was making herself coffee.

"Coffee at this time?" Punk shook his head as she smiled.

"Well I've been napping all day so… I don't have a sleeping schedule anymore." She smiled, turning around and noticing he looked pale and out of his own head space, "Hey, you ok? You're later than usual." She noticed.

"Yeah…" Punk scratched the back of his neck, "I… saw this kid get hit by a car." He said as AJ let her spoon go into her mug, walking over to him, "He's… in a coma now." He nodded.

"Oh my God, Phil." AJ sighed, placing her hands on his arms.

"I uh… I'm trying to think if… if I could have done something… to help him a little more." He nodded.

"Someone just hit him? Where were you?" AJ shook her head.

"I took the slip road home, you know the one off the main street?" He said as she nodded, "I was at the crossroads and he came from the left, the car came from the right and just… knocked him straight off. And then it drove away." He shook his head.

"It drove away?" AJ shook her head, "Oh, Phil." AJ sighed, rubbing his arms up and down softly, "Ok, sit down. Have this coffee." She told him as he sat over at the kitchen table, "Here." AJ said, walking over with the coffee and sitting it down.

"Thanks." Punk nodded as she sat down across from him.

"You got him to hospital, that was all you could do in the situation." AJ shook her head, "What are his injuries?" AJ asked.

"Just to his head. It's pretty bad if he's in a coma." Punk said, "He's just eleven years old. I mean… fuck." He shook his head as AJ sighed.

"He's in the best place, that's all you can think about right now." AJ nodded.

"It was like it happened in slow motion." He shook his head, "And the car just… drove off." Punk shook his head, "I mean, what the fuck?"

"Usually with hit and runs, the driver comes forward in a day or two, it must be a panic thing." She shook her head, "Did you get the plate or the car?" AJ asked him.

"No I didn't." Punk shook his head, disappointed in himself, "It was black, that's all I got." He said, "It just happened out of nowhere." He said.

"Well he's in safe hands. You did all you could for him." AJ nodded. She'd always understood the pressures of being a cop because of how close she worked to the station, but she'd never saw it up close and personal like this, and the last thing she wanted was for him to feel guilty, "He's lucky you were there, that road can be dead quiet." She said.

"That's what the doctor said." Punk nodded, "His parents came so I… I left. Whoever takes over the investigation will probably wanna talk to me." He said as AJ nodded.

"Well you just say what you saw, it's all you can do." She said, taking his hand in hers as he sighed and nodded, "It'll be ok." She said, rubbing the top of his hand.

"How are you anyway?" Punk asked her tiredly.

"I'm ok. I've been oversleeping but… I think it's been helping actually." She told him, "My brother came around earlier to tell me he's going back to Puerto Rico." She nodded, "At first I was mad but… I mean his life is back in Puerto Rico so… I get it." She said, "He's real happy that you are here for me."

"I didn't think he would be." Punk admitted.

"Yeah well he tends to shock a lot of people." AJ nodded, looking over at him as he sat staring into a different planet, "You wanna go to bed?" AJ asked him.

"I don't think I could sleep." Punk sighed to himself.

"What happened with your day? Did you go talk to Teresa?" AJ asked, trying to take his mind from things as he nodded.

"Yeah… we got some dates and… about a trip Mark made before Sofia died, we're getting one of the computer guys to do some hacking, bring up some credit card records." He nodded.

"A trip to where?" AJ asked.

"Milwaukee." Punk said.

"I'll be losing you to Milwaukee?" AJ pouted as he shook his head.

"Nah, we'll be up and down, it's not that long in the car." He said as she nodded, "How you been feeling?" He asked her, trying to zen out for a little while, she made it easy for him to concentrate on her, she was so beautiful and he could lose himself in her eyes, but the face of the little boy just kept appearing into his head.

"I'm ok. I had a good talk with my brother. I need to respect my health, mentally. I don't think I've processed what happened yet. I thought I could just jump in head first to life again and it'd be fine but… it's clearly still on my mind, and I need to just take things slow." She nodded.

"Yeah, there's no rush for you to push yourself." He nodded, "You've been through a lot, and it feels like it's still going on." He said as she nodded, watching him.

"Phil, maybe you should go lie down. You've obviously had a long day, a long night." She nodded, "I'll lock up down here." She told him.

"You said you weren't tired." Punk said.

"I can get tired." She smiled, "Go. I'll be up behind you." She said as he just nodded and stood up, heading off out of the kitchen as she frowned. She didn't like seeing him in such distress.

She locked up everywhere downstairs and headed up not long after Punk to bed, walking on into the bedroom where she saw him already in bed and passed out, smiling to herself and shaking her head. He was clearly exhausted, she didn't blame him after what had gone on, but she was just glad he'd managed to pass out.

She liked the feeling of having him come home to her. She knew things were still very fresh and new, and they were in no way on talking terms of moving in, they hadn't even had a date yet, but she liked having him in her bed to snuggle into.

She got into bed beside him, kissing his cheek and resting in close to him. He was the only thing she was ever sure of, that made her feel safe.

* * *

The next morning, Punk woke up a little earlier and left AJ's house to go to his own to get some clean clothes. He left her asleep, one of his favourite sights to see.

He then went to the hospital. He couldn't get the eleven year old out of his head. It was like everything else had been pushed to the back of his mind, all he was interested in was seeing how Jack was.

He walked down the hospital corridor and into the hospital room where he was in, slowly walking into the room, glancing over at the little boy in the bed, hooked up to so much machines and wires, sighing to himself. It was a painful, hollow type of feeling he felt in his chest whenever he saw a victim of any sort of crime, and this one just seemed so personal and harsh for some reason.

"Who are you?"

Punk turned around to the room door where Jack's mom stood holding a cup of coffee. It had been obvious she'd been there all night and hadn't slept.

"Oh… sorry." Punk shook his head, "Phil Brooks. I was… the cop there." He explained as the woman looked at him wearily, "I… saw it." He told her as she nodded, sitting her coffee down.

"I'm Angela." Angela nodded, "Jack's mom." She looked over at her son with a smile as Punk nodded, "He could have… lay there all night." She said, "Thank you." She turned back to him as Punk just shook his head.

"You don't have to thank me." Punk shook his head, "How have the doctors said he is?" He asked.

"They just keep saying the word stable." Angela shrugged, "Most of the injury is… to his head. I… I told him all the time to wear his helmet." She shook her head sadly as Punk nodded.

"He's in the best place for help right now." Punk assured her as she nodded and sighed.

"How could someone… walk away from that?" She asked, "And why would someone not see him?"

"Sometimes with hit and runs we get the driver coming in a few days later. The station will be prepared for anyone coming in." He nodded.

"But you'll be out looking for whoever it was, right? You're the one who saw it all." Angela said as Punk looked at her.

"There will be an investigator for it." Punk assured her as she just nodded slowly, "Trust me, there will be people looking for whoever it was."

"But you're the one who was there with him, who saw it, I thought you would be… looking." Angela shook her head as Punk rubbed his forehead, looking over at Jack, listening as the oxygen went in his mouth through the tubes.

"I'll be around." Punk nodded. A part of him just couldn't back away. Something that happened so visibly to him, he did feel like he needed to take charge of the case, but he still had so much to do with Sofia's case, it was like one thing after the other.

"Well thank you." Angela nodded tiredly, "You… saved his life." She said as Punk just looked at her, "Whatever you can do to help." She smiled as Punk just nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Take care." He told her, walking out of the hospital room and down the corridor, sighing to himself and rubbing his forehead as he felt the work load clinging to his back, yet he couldn't back away.


	36. Another Threat

**Another Threat**

* * *

"What do you mean you're taking on this case?" Dean shook his head, standing in the office where Punk had gotten in, telling Dean all about the night he'd had and the obligations he felt he needed to take with the eleven year old boy who had been put in a coma.

"I was there. I saw it happen. I feel… responsible for the case." Punk told him.

"Maybe I remind you we got a big break here with this Milwaukee news." Dean shook his head, "And now you wanna… take on a local case?"

"The kid is in hospital." Punk said, "In a coma."

"Yeah and that's a shame, I'm not saying anything about that. But you don't need to look into it. We've finally got something to go on here."

"How do you know that?" Punk said, "Seth probably won't find anything useful for us and we'll have yet another dead end." He said.

"Then we'll keep looking in other directions." Dean said, "Don't you wanna find out who did this? Who took AJ?"

"Of course I do." Punk said, "I can still… look at both cases."

"We all know that never goes to plan." Dean said, "You got that kid the help he needed, now let someone else look over it." He said as Punk sighed and nodded, running his hand over his face, "I know, it's tedious and… we don't seem to be making waves but… something has gotta give, at this point." Dean rolled his eyes just as there was a knock at the door, "What?" Dean asked as they watched Seth walk into the office.

"Oh, hey." Punk forced a fake smile as did Dean.

"Hi." Seth looked at them both, holding his laptop. He was pretty much a genius hacker for the police department, in the most legal way they could use him.

"You got something?" Dean wondered.

"Yeah." Seth nodded, sitting his laptop down on the desk as Dean and Punk crowded him, "So basically I got a track from a gas station he used, I've wrote down the address." He said, sitting down the piece of paper with his notes on it, "There's also a track on a strip cub, didn't really surprise me." He rolled his eyes, "But what I found strange was… straight after his business in Milwaukee, he booked flight tickets to Hawaii for him and his wife and kids." He shook his head as Dean and Punk looked at one another, "So… I done more digging, and he had the flights booked for the same day Sofia died. But of course the cops got onto him before he got the chance."

"Fuck." Punk raised his eyebrows, "Why didn't anyone pick up on that before?"

"Well because he cancelled his card. Smart. But… I am also smart." He smiled at them both as Punk and Dean just raised a brow, "Anyway." He shook his head, "Seems to me like a lot of plotting went down in Milwaukee. This guy is definitely the mastermind behind all of this, no matter what he says." Seth nodded.

"You're good, kid." Dean nodded, impressed, "These are the addresses?" He asked, picking up the notes.

"Yeah." Seth said, "I just think these bastards need to be stopped." He said, "They've gotten away with it long enough."

"Yeah, too right they have." Punk nodded, "So… this guy plans a trip to Milwaukee with his guys. They plan to murder Sofia there?" He shook his head.

"Clearly at this point they were having the loan problems with the family." Dean nodded, "Maybe that's where our guys are from." He shrugged, "So Mark goes and has a meeting with them and makes sure he's got a quick getaway. Seems all very fitting." He said as Punk nodded.

"Y'all need to hit up Milwaukee then." Seth nodded, closing his laptop over and tucking it under his arm as Dean turned to him and stared at him, "What?"

"You wanna come along? We could use your brain." He said as Seth looked at both of them back and forth.

"I… I don't know anything about this, not really." He said.

"We'll fill you in." Punk said, "Your slimy hacking skills might be something we need when we're there."

"Slimy?" Seth raised a brow.

"I meant amazing." Punk shook his head as Seth nodded slowly, "Let us figure out some shit, when we're going, and then we'll let you know."

"I feel used a little." Seth admitted.

"You should be so damn lucky." Dean said as Seth rolled his eyes, "Go on then, go back to your basement."

"I have a desk." Seth shook his head.

"Mhm." Dean just nodded.

"We'll keep you updated." Punk nodded to him, "Thanks for this."

"Yeah, no problems." Seth scoffed, walking off out of the office as Punk turned to Dean.

"He could be useful." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, he's quick and smart." Dean said, "When you planning on going then?"

"I uh… I wanna just talk to some people about this little boys case." Punk said, "So… why don't we go first thing tomorrow morning, make it back by night?" He asked as Dean nodded.

"Alright, fine with me." Dean nodded, sitting down at the desk.

* * *

Punk headed to AJ's after his shift where he spoke to the investigators and the cops working on finding the hit and run vehicle. It was just on his mind, more so because he saw it in front of him. It seemed so bizarre to him and so cruel.

"Hey… did you go to the hairdressers?" Punk asked, noticing AJ's hair had been levelled, walking into the kitchen where she was making dinner.

"Uh no… Jack, my hairdresser, he came around and did it." AJ nodded "It was just annoying me." She shook her head as he smiled and nodded.

"You look beautiful." He told her, walking over to her and leaning down for a kiss as she kissed back.

"How are you? Any word on that little boy?" AJ asked him.

"He's doing ok. Still in coma. There's a lot of people working around it so… I'm just trying to focus on Sofia's case, getting those bastards." Punk said as AJ nodded, "We got a break through today, one of the tech guys we have managed to get tracks on an old credit card Mark had. So we've got ourselves some addresses for Milwaukee." He said, "Oh and we found out he then bought plane tickets, leaving on the day that Sofia was murdered."

"Really?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Weird, huh? Looks like he really was the one giving the orders out and these guys are just… clearly insane to do it." He shook his head, walking over to the kitchen table. It was almost surreal how natural it felt just to be around her now. She was becoming a part of his life which he wasn't sure what he'd do without.

"So you're going to Milwaukee?" AJ asked him, turning the food down and turning around to him.

"Tomorrow morning." Punk nodded, "But I'll be back by night time." He told her as she nodded, "How you been feeling?" He asked her. He didn't want to sound repetitive and be on her case constantly, but he cared about her and worried about her.

"I'm doing fine." AJ assured him, "A lot better." She nodded, "I do think I need to start moving forward. Even if it's just little steps." She said, "I know what I've been through isn't something I can just brush aside, I know that." She said, "But… I have to start somewhere." She said.

"As long as it's at your pace. When you're ready." He nodded as she smiled, walking towards him.

"So… when are we… going on this date?" She asked him with a smile as he smiled back and nodded.

"What do you say tomorrow night, when I get back?" Punk asked her, "I'd say it's long overdue." He said as she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah I think so." AJ nodded, "Sounds good to me. Where are you taking me?" She asked him.

"Wherever you wanna go." Punk nodded to her.

"Well… how about you make it a surprise then. I've not… I've never been on a date before." She admitted, "So… I won't have any standards." She teased as he smiled.

"I better make it special then." He nodded. He felt like, with her, he could separate everything going on in his brain with work, and the case, to where his only focus was her. No one had ever had that impact on him like that.

"You better." AJ smiled, leaning up and pressing a kiss on his lips softly as he kissed back, picking her up off the ground as she giggled, "What about dinner?" She asked as he trailed his kiss down her neck and sat her on the table.

"Fuck the dinner." Punk whispered, kissing her neck and lifting up her t-shirt over her head. He already felt like they'd been dating forever. Their bond was so different and special, and it felt like whatever was going on, nothing could ever come in between them.

* * *

"She's been so difficult lately." Dean said, holding Eva in his arms, bouncing her up and down as the baby girl cried.

"She's not used to you." Lia told him, running her hand over her hair, sitting at the kitchen table whilst Dean bounced the baby in his arms. It was hard balancing a family life with his job as it was so constant and chaotic at times, and sometimes he did feel bad for missing out on a lot.

"Don't say it like that." Dean frowned a little.

"Well it's true. You barely ever put her to bed." Lia said, fidgeting with her hands as Dean looked down at her. They'd been dating for a very long time. She was his councillor at a time where he was fighting a lot of demons, and for some reason she just became the most important person to him.

"I get caught up, you know that." Dean said, "Maybe she's coming down with something." He said, looking down at the baby girl in his arms, listening to her cries turning into whimpers the more he bounced and soothed her.

"No, sometimes she's just like that." Lia said as Dean nodded.

"You ok?" Dean asked her as she nodded, not convincing him all that much, "Hey, what's up?" He asked, sitting down at the table with her as she just shook her head, "Something is wrong, Lianne. I can see it in your face." He said. He'd only just got home and he could tell his girlfriend was acting strange for some reason.

"This." Lia stood up, opening up a kitchen drawer and pulling out a piece of paper, "This was posted through the door tonight." She told him, taking a seat back at the table.

He passed Eva across to her in exchange for the letter, opening it up and looking at the scribbled note which read:

 _Don't do it. Stay away. The car won't miss the next time. That boys blood is on your hands. Your friend has received the same later. If you keep looking. If you keep digging. You're going to lose. You're not going to get the answers you want. Leave things alone whilst no one else is dead._

Dean looked up at Lia who looked back at him and shook her head with worry.

"You're bringing this home." Lia said, "And now I'm scared." She admitted as Dean looked down at the letter, reading it again and shaking his head. It felt like everything always came down to this case, for example, the hit and run which had somehow found a connection with the case. It was becoming larger than life to them, and something had to be done.


	37. Lockdown

**Lockdown**

* * *

"I gotta go." Punk shook his head, buttoning his shirt up whilst AJ sat on the kitchen floor in her underwear.

"What?" AJ shook her head tiredly.

"Dean got another note, from our friends." Punk shook his head, "Says it's bad news."

"I thought they'd disappeared." AJ shook her head, picking her t-shirt up from the floor and pulling it over her body.

"Apparently not." Punk shook his head, "They know we're onto them. They're panicking now." He said as AJ just sighed to herself and stood up, sliding on her sweats as she watched him get the rest of his clothes on.

"What if they… come back and… try and finish what they started?" AJ asked, "I uh… I don't wanna be here alone." She shook her head honestly. She wasn't a scared person, she never really was. She put it down to growing up in such chaotic ways, and she knew her boyfriend shared similar experiences. But after what had happened, even though she felt like she could start moving on, especially with the comfort she had found in Punk, she still felt nervous every time he left during the night.

"Why don't you come with me and stay at Dean's." Punk said, "His girlfriend is super nice, they got a baby that always cries but she's cute, you'll like her." He smiled as AJ just shook her head and looked down at the ground.

"N-No… I don't… I don't even know her." AJ shook her head at the idea.

"She's easy to get along with, trust me. I'll only be gone for… an hour at the most maybe." Punk nodded, "Dean said she's real worried too."

AJ thought about it for a few minutes and realised that she couldn't be so against making friends and getting close to people, and plus, she really didn't want to be alone in the house herself.

"Ok, as long as… I'm not intruding on anything." AJ nodded, folding her arms as Punk smiled.

"Lia would welcome anyone into her house, trust me." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"How long have they been together?" AJ asked him, walking down out of the kitchen with him to head out of the house, grabbing whatever she needed and putting her sweater on.

"A lot of years." Punk nodded, "She was his councillor."

"Councillor?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah, Dean is uh… recovering addict. Drugs and alcohol." Punk said as AJ raised her eyebrows, "I know, you'd never think it but… he's been there. His rehab was followed up by counselling, him and Lia just hit it off. She's more like a councillor for addicts. She knows what she is talking about." Punk nodded, "They've been together ever since."

"That's a sweet story." AJ nodded, "Dean's so… calm and collected, I never thought for a second." She shook her head.

"Yeah, shows we never really know a person, not really." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"What age is their kid?" AJ asked, closing the front door over and locking it up before heading to the car.

"She's coming up for… eight months I think." Punk nodded, "She's cute."

"I hate kids." AJ shook her head, "Especially babies. They just… seem like such hard work." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, she definitely is. She's a crier." Punk nodded, "Cute when she giggles though." Punk said, getting into the car as did AJ.

"So did Dean say what that letter said exactly?" AJ asked him.

"Just another threatening letter." Punk said, "Said something about the boy with the hit and run. I swear if it's linked then I'll go out of my mind." He said as AJ turned to him, "He said I was probably sent one but… I've just not been home to get it."

"Don't you get worried?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, I do. Of course I do. These aren't fuckers I wanna mess with." Punk made clear, "But… it's been going on for this long now, I feel like… in a strange way, I'm used to it. And that shouldn't be the case." He said, "They're clearly watching our moves and what we're doing, they know we're onto them, and they think threatening us with letters is gonna make us step away." He made a face, "Not the smartest logically, are they?"

"No, but they are smart, clearly. If they've got away with this for so long." AJ shook her head, "How can they keep it up? How can they continue to want to hurt people?"

"Because they're evil. Trust me. There's a lot of them out there." Punk nodded as AJ sighed.

"Hopefully this gets wrapped up sooner than later." He nodded as AJ sighed, reaching over for his free hand and taking it in hers as his other one stayed on the steering wheel.

* * *

They eventually got to Dean's house and Punk took AJ in where Dean was sitting on the couch with Lia.

"Hey." Punk nodded to them both as they watched AJ follow behind, "Uh… I hope you don't mind, AJ… didn't wanna be alone, I said she could maybe… stay here for a bit whilst we go out?" He turned to Lia who looked at AJ.

"Of course." Lia nodded, "Here, come sit down." Lia said, taking AJ's hand and guiding her over to the couch as AJ walked with her and sat down.

"Let me read it?" Punk asked as Dean extended the letter to him. Punk read over the short note and shook his head, looking up at Dean with shock, "I was… I was supposed to get hit by that car?" Punk said as Dean nodded.

"Makes sense." Dean said, "Must have been timed, someone following you, the kid cycled out in front, misjudged the lights, something went wrong." Dean nodded, 'But yeah, that's what the letter insinuates." He sighed as Punk just shook his head.

"So what… now they're fucking… paralysing kids?" Punk shook his head, "They're clearly here, in town, they know what we're doing, what we're planning." He said.

"We should go to the station." Dean nodded as Punk sighed.

"Yeah." Punk said, turning to AJ who just looked up at him, "We won't be long, like… an hour at the most." He assured her again.

"Yeah, I'm fucking tired." Dean sighed. It was a lot of stress and exhaustion that came with their job, especially when working on a case like this.

"We'll be fine here." AJ nodded, turning to Lia who just smiled. She didn't know the girl, hadn't met her in her life, but she felt like they could bond over being nervous, because just like anyone would be in that situation, it was pretty nerve wracking.

* * *

Punk and Dean left the house and headed to the station. At certain points, sometimes they didn't really know what to do, they were in a difficult position of not really knowing who they were actually looking for still, and that was frustrating above anything else.

They arrived in the station which was completely empty with just the night porter on reception, walking into the back and heading to their office whilst discussing what they could possibly do and how they could speed things up.

However, when they opened up their office that they shared, they both paused as the entire crime board they had, with all their notes and files had been ruined, ripped apart and rubbed out, with pieces of paper shredded everywhere.

"What the fuck." Dean shook his head, walking further into the office and looking around, "Are you fucking kidding me?!" Dean yelled, kicking the desk angrily whilst Punk's ears picked up outside the office.

"Wait a minute-" Punk put his hand up as Dean looked over at him, "Do you hear that?" He asked as Dean quietened down, walking over to him and listening closely to what sounded like someone typing really quickly.

They both stepped out of the office, standing in the empty room with all the rows of desks and offices surrounding them.

"Who is in here?!" Dean yelled out, hovering his hand over his gun whilst Punk walked further forward to where the noise was coming from, waving his hand for Dean to follow as they slowly crept forward. They knew no one would be working in the offices at this time. Most guys on their shifts would be out on patrol.

Punk tilted his head around the dip in the corner where Seth worked at his desk, arching his brows as he saw him sitting typing.

"Seth?" Punk shook his head, walking another step further as he saw a person standing to the side of Seth, dressed in complete black, with a black hood covering his face, and a gun pointed at Seth.

Punk immediately raised his gun and pointed at the guy as the guy pointed his across to Punk.

"Bit dumb coming here, don't you think?" Punk asked whilst Dean joined him and pulled out his gun.

"Phil, he hasn't spoken a word." Seth shook his head nervously as the man turned his gun back to him, this time pressing it against his neck as Seth put his hands up.

"Hey!" Dean yelled, "Hey, you're going to prison anyway, but you don't wanna do any more stupid things, trust me." He nodded. It was very hard to speak when they could only see his eyes out of his entire body.

"There is three of us and one of you." Punk said, "So you're gonna drop your gun, and we're gonna arrest you." Punk nodded as the man just tilted his head.

Suddenly they jumped as they heard the alarm system ringing through the police station loudly, the lockdown alarm shrieking through it as Punk turned to Dean.

"Who the fuck put us in lockdown?" Dean gritted his teeth, knowing that the lockdown system in the station was legit. Windows got locked, every door, every crack that was possible to get out, got locked.

"Dean." Punk nudged Dean as he watched another man in a black hood walk into the back office area. Dean turned around and raised his gun over at the approaching man whilst Punk kept his on the one who was threatening Seth.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Dean asked.

"I uh… he wants all the files from Sofia's case deleted, and the… and the credit cards." Seth answered.

"Where is the rest of you?" Punk asked, "We know there's four of you." Punk nodded as the man looked across at him in the eye, "You know that when the station goes into lockdown every investigator, detective and cop gets a notification." He said.

"I think they want that." Dean whispered to Punk, "Where are the other two guys?" He gritted his teeth.

"Phil, what… what are we doing?" Seth shook his head, feeling the gun press harder to the back of his neck whilst Punk looked from one of the men to the other, standing beside Dean whilst the alarm continued to ring.

It wasn't like anything he'd ever faced. It was just two shadows were attacking them. No words were muttered from them, no expression, yet they represented so much fear and damage that he wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

"You do anything, we will shoot." Dean warned them both, "There will be cops on their way. This isn't going to work out for either of you." He told them.

Punk then watched as the man standing beside Seth reached for the paper and pen on the desk, writing down something and showing it to Seth only who looked over at Punk and gulped.

"Talking to us isn't going to make a difference." Punk reminded them.

Meanwhile Seth closed out everything on his computer and done as the notepad told him, not sure he had a choice with a gun pressed so hard against the back of his neck.

Punk then watched as the man nodded to Punk at Seth, meanwhile Dean kept his gun aimed at the second man who stood over by the back door.

Punk watched Seth swallow a nervous gulp, turning his laptop around where there was a picture of AJ from her files after being kidnapped. Punk looked at the picture whilst Dean also looked, watching as the man lowered his gun against the laptop where AJ's face was.

* * *

"Did you say just milk in your coffee?" Lia called in from the kitchen. Her and AJ had been chatting about the case, about their significant others work and AJ couldn't remember the last time she'd actually enjoyed another females company to the point of having coffee together. Lia was super sweet, and she did feel at ease with her.

"AJ?" Lia called again after not hearing a reply, pouring milk into the coffees and stirring it, shrugging to herself as she assumed there wasn't any sugar necessary.

She then suddenly heard a loud crash from in the living room, like glass shattering, followed by loud commotion. She took the coffees and walked on into the living room, not possibly thinking the complete worst.

She dropped the coffees immediately, staring on in shock and disbelief as she saw a black hooded figure with a hold on AJ, his hand around her mouth as she tried to squirm, meanwhile another man stood beside, the full window broken with glass everywhere.

Lia, as much as she would have helped anyone, could only think about one thing, and that was her daughter, so she quickly ran back out of the living room into the hallway, attempting to go for the stairs when she felt her ankle grabbed, pulling her back down as she tried to kick the man away, "Get off!" Lia yelled, but he grabbed her, pulling her back down the stairs and into the living room whilst she watched the other man tying AJ up, looking over at the black bag in the corner which looked fully packed, gulping whilst AJ looked across at her with an equally terrified face.


	38. Over

**Over**

* * *

"I don't know what it is you… all want to get out of this. I think… you must be wired extremely wrong to… to live your lives the way you have." Punk said, looking across at the man still standing beside Dean, "Now either you're doing this because you know that your time running and hiding and getting away with the horrible things you all did, is over, or you are really that confident in your abilities to ruin another person's life and get away with it." Punk said, "But I can tell you right now, you won't." He said, "As long as you're here right now, you aren't walking away tonight."

Punk watched as the man lowered his gun back to Seth's neck as Seth turned his laptop around and started erasing files again like he had been threatened to do so.

"What is deleting things gonna do?" Dean asked, "We know what you did, we know it, just because it's not in a report anymore won't make a difference." He reminded them.

"I don't think they're planning on keeping us around." Punk mumbled to him as Dean looked from the two men and groaned to himself.

"We need to get back to my house." Dean said as Punk nodded. They knew they couldn't just be the cops who stood and watched with their guns in the air. They had to do something. Take that risk and jump.

Punk turned around back to Seth who was discretely looking up at him every few seconds, worry on his face. He wasn't a cop, he was just a tech guy and he really had no idea what he was supposed to do in the situation apart from do what he was told.

But Punk eyed him closely, nodding to the laptop, using his eyes and head to paint out a scenario for Seth to catch onto. It was extremely off-putting also to have these men more or less have no faces. It was nothing like they'd saw before.

Dean kept his eyes on the other man whilst Punk eye told Seth what to do. The next thing that happened, Seth jumped up, using his laptop as a weapon as he smacked it across the man's face and quickly grabbed the gun, throwing it over to Punk who caught it whilst Dean kept his gun on the other man.

"Go. Fix the alarms." Punk nodded to Seth who quickly ran down the rows of desks and out into the reception area.

"You put your fucking gun down." Dean told the second guy who kept his gun up, "You make a move and I will shoot you."

"Take off the hood." Punk said, stepping closer to the man whom was trying to recover from being hit by Seth, approaching him closely as the man stood up, revealing another gun from his back pocket and aiming it at Punk's leg, this time not hesitating to pull the trigger as Punk went down in pain.

The other man immediately went for Dean as a brawl began to take place whilst Seth called out for more people to get to the station.

* * *

Meanwhile back at Dean's house, AJ and Lia were sat on the floor with both their hands tied and their ankles. AJ felt like she had the privilege this time of having someone else with her. In her eyes, it was two against two, and she refused to be a victim yet again.

The men didn't speak, just like last time, and their faces were covered up. One had a black bag and she couldn't really see what was in it.

"Why are there only two of you?" AJ asked, doing everything she could to hear them talk or say something. She thought it was insane that they did everything silently and so invisibly, "What are you gonna do?" AJ said whilst Lia sat beside, more worried and scared.

AJ watched as one of the men took out a small tank of gasoline, raising her eyebrows as he pulled out another one.

"What? So you're gonna burn us alive?" AJ asked, "You're not following suit to how you killed my friend? No… raping and beating? You're just gonna burn us alive? In this house?" AJ asked whilst they took no notice of her and began to pour out the gasoline around them.

Lia tried to keep herself calm but was finding it extremely hard when she knew her baby daughter was upstairs. She wasn't sure how they were supposed to find themselves out of this situation, but they were sure as hell going to try.

"Why won't you speak?" AJ asked calmly, as she'd slowly began to shuffle unnoticedly towards the coffee table in the centre of the room, "C'mon, just say something." She said, "What difference does it make?" She asked, watching as they continued to pour gasoline over every visible part in the living room.

Meanwhile AJ was rubbing her tied hands up and down the coffee tables leg. It was sharp and thin enough to possibly break through the table, otherwise she wouldn't have bothered.

"Please just let us go." Lia begged, "You don't have to do this."

"You're pretty much dead meat anyway." AJ told them, "Those cops… they're onto you, and you're never gonna get away anymore." She said as Lia watched her. She didn't understand how she could be so brave. She knew it was a lot more personal for AJ, but she didn't know where she found the courage to say things to these very intimidating people, whom they couldn't even see the faces of.

AJ suddenly jumped as one of the men turned around and grabbed her by the throat, lowering his hooded face to hers as Lia gulped.

AJ looked into his eyes, which was the only think she could see, collected some saliva in her mouth and spat directly at him whilst his hand gripped her throat. She then lifted her tied together ankles up, kicking him right where it hurt between his legs as her hands broke free.

She stood up, grabbing a picture frame from the mantel and cracked it over the head of the second guy. She wasn't foreign to defending herself. She'd grew up in situations where it was essential to know how to defend herself. Her parents had always encouraged her to fight, it was part of growing up in her family, and at times like these, she was thankful for it.

She quickly rushed over to Lia after both men were doing, one knocked out and the other wincing over the hard kick AJ had gave him in his unmentionables.

"Oh my God." Lia shook her head, trembling as AJ undone the tape around her wrists and ankles.

"It's gonna be ok." AJ nodded to her, getting to their feet, not noticing the conscious man pulling out his lighter, simply flicking his thumb down and lowering it against the carpet as it suddenly burst into flames around them.

AJ pushed Lia back, but the flames progressed so quickly, spreading around the carpet and the living room that they barely had anywhere to stand. AJ couldn't understand the thought process, as these men were clearly happy with burning alive if it meant they did too, but she refused to let that happen.

"Put your cardigan over your mouth." AJ told Lia loudly over the cackling of the fire as Lia took her cardigan off and covered it over her mouth whilst AJ did the same with her sweater.

"There's no way out." Lia said loudly, "Eva is upstairs!" She yelled desperately as AJ nodded.

"Get this." AJ pointed to the coffee table. The flames were so hot, she felt like she was being burnt anyway without being touched, and the smoke was progressively getting worse, making it harder to see much.

Lia grabbed one end of the coffee table as they carried it over and threw it down past the doorway to clear an exit for them.

"Ok. You go outside, get help!" AJ said, "I'll get Eva." She nodded.

"No… I will, I need to-"

"Just do it!" AJ yelled, watching the fire began to seep out into the kitchen. She knew if Lia went upstairs to get the baby, she would be a shaking mess, "Go!" AJ nodded as Lia quickly rushed out of the door whilst AJ sprinted upstairs.

She burst into the nursery, closing the door behind her and walking over to the crib where the baby girl was asleep. She'd never so much as held a baby before, and she figured when she did it would be under calmer circumstances, but she had no time to not know what to do.

"Ok, I am so sorry." AJ hummed, picking Eva up from her crib and into her arms, wrapping her sweater around the infant to make sure she wouldn't inhale any smoke, "It's ok." AJ smiled as she watched the baby wake up.

She quickly left the nursery, holding the baby into her chest, approaching to the top of the stairs where she saw the flames had already spread to. She quickly left the top of the stairs and ran into the front bedroom, closing the door behind her and putting the baby on the bed.

"Ok, it's gonna be alright." AJ said as Eva began to cry and scream, "I know, it's ok." AJ shook her head, pushing furniture against the door as best she could.

She picked Eva back up into her arms, rushing over to the window and opening it up as she saw police had already gathered along with a fire engine and an ambulance.

"I can't get out!" AJ yelled out the window over Eva's crying.

Meanwhile Punk and Dean had arrived at the scene after they had thankfully gotten out of lockdown when more cops came to help them. Punk had a shot leg which he refused to get looked at. This was more important, even if he was hopping along everywhere.

"Can someone get a fucking ladder up there!" Dean yelled angrily whilst Lia stood beside crying with her hands over her mouth.

Punk could see AJ coughing, blackness over her face. She was keeping the sweater over the baby instead of her own mouth, and as much as he admired her selflessness, he knew that it didn't take long for smoke to kill, he'd been on the sight of many house fires and knew it to be true.

"Someone needs to get up there now." Punk nodded worriedly, "Like right fucking now!" He yelled whilst fire men headed back and forth with equipment, perching up a ladder against the house.

Meanwhile AJ backed herself into the corner of the bedroom, feeling the room start to fill with smoke, coughing continuously whilst she could hear the fire so close outside the door, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the whole place went up, and she was right, quickly turning into the wall as the door exploded open with pieces of furniture blowing everywhere.

"April!" Punk yelled, getting nervous as he couldn't see his girlfriend, watching the fire man walk up the ladders to the window.

Meanwhile Dean stood, never feeling so sick in his entire life whilst Lia stood beside shaking and crying.

AJ was feeling herself struggling to breathe slowly but surely, but was doing everything she could to hold onto the baby girl and keep her shielded from everything. She was barely conscious when she heard the fire man at the top of the window, but she somehow managed to pick up on it and moved closer to it.

"T-Take her." AJ nodded, passing over the baby first as the fire man nodded, carefully taking the baby girl whilst AJ stood at the window.

"Ok, I'm gonna take her down and come back, stay at the window, ok?" The fire man said as AJ nodded, watching as he began to climb down the steps quickly with Eva in his arms who was screaming and crying.

AJ stood at the window, coughing and longing for fresh air. She watched as the fire man came back up for her, helping her out of the window, moving down the ladders herself as he went down behind, supporting her as much as he could whilst she carefully moved down each step, eventually reaching the ground, EMTs rushing to her as she pushed through them and headed for Punk, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he grabbed onto her just as tight.

"Are you ok?" Punk sighed with so much relief as AJ nodded, gasping and wheezing.

"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ nodded, turning her head and looking over to Dean and Lia who were sitting at the back of the ambulance holding Eva who looked perfectly fine.

"This fucking thing is over." Punk told her, rubbing her back in circles, kissing her head as she held onto him for dear life, his leg wrapped up but still bleeding, not caring as he needed to hold her desperately.

"It's over." Punk nodded, watching as the fire men piled in to treat the fire carefully and put it out, holding AJ tightly. He didn't plan to lose her. Ever.


	39. Moved On

**Moved On**

* * *

 _One Year later…_

"I hope you have cream on." AJ smiled, stepping out from the villa onto the warm concrete in the garden, looking over at her boyfriend lying on a sun lounger, "Phil." She shook her head, realising he was sleeping, "Hey, you told me to go put this bikini on." AJ folded her arms, walking over to the lounger wearing a black bikini.

She smiled and climbed onto him, straddling his hips as he jumped awake, looking around as he saw she was on top of him and changed into her bikini, smirking to himself.

"I said I hope you have cream on." AJ smiled, kissing his lips softly as he kissed back, running his hands through her longer hair.

"I do." Punk said, pulling back from the kiss, "You changed." He noticed and smiled.

"You asked me to." AJ reminded him.

"I just thought you looked too warm." Punk shrugged modestly as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Of course you did." She said, climbing off of him, sitting down on the lounger next to him, "I thought being out in the middle of nowhere would freak me out but… I like being away from everything." She nodded, taking the sun cream from the little table between the loungers, starting to put some on her arms and legs as Punk watched in a daze.

"I told you." Punk nodded.

They were on vacation. After working so much for so long, they both decided they needed a break. His idea of a break was being unbothered by everyone, even local people, so he booked a villa in Hawaii which was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There was a huge pool and outside area, as well as a spacious and beautiful inside.

"It takes me a few days still to actually zone out of work." AJ admitted, lying up on the lounger whilst Punk checked her out and rolled his head back.

"You're a tease." He shook his head, closing his eyes and facing up at the sun.

"I'm not doing anything." AJ laughed innocently, "You wanted me to put the bikini on, I was happy in my shorts."

"I was looking out for your best interest." Punk defended.

"You mean your best interest." AJ shook her head as Punk just made a face, "Oh, it feels nice not having to… convince a judge my rotten client isn't rotten." She said with a loud, relaxing sigh.

"Yeah it feels good not having to arrest those rotten people, just for you to free them." Punk said as AJ opened one eye and turned to him.

"We agreed on not talking about this." AJ smiled to him as he just nodded.

"Mhm, we did." Punk said, "I'm just saying. You do make life harder for me."

"I make a lot of things harder for you, baby. It's not my fault." She winked as he just shook his head.

"I can't disagree." Punk nodded, turning to her and watching as she lay with her eyes closed, facing the sun, her already tanned body glowing. It was really hard not to stare, even after a whole year of dating, he still couldn't believe her perfection.

A year had gone by and it had been a quick one. Their relationship had always started out rough with what happened, in a way however, they both agreed it had probably brought them close together in the first place. After they cleared up everything with Sofia's case, they really felt like they could actually move forward with their relationship properly, and they had, to the extreme point of Punk moving in with AJ just a few weeks ago. It made sense as he was barely staying at his place anymore.

"Are you missing it yet?" Punk asked her.

"Missing what? Work?" AJ opened her eyes and turned to him.

"Yeah." Punk said, "I know we're both two of those weird people who actually like their work."

"I'm not missing it." AJ chuckled, "I haven't had a vacation in so long. Mostly because it was embarrassing to go anywhere on my own." She said, "I don't miss it. I think we needed this." She said as he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we did." Punk nodded, "I'm glad I got that Montgomery case cleared up before I left." He said, "It was pissing me off."

"Oh, the serial robber?" AJ asked him as he nodded, "Yeah, he seemed pretty reckless."

"Yeah, socked me in the face when I got him down." Punk shook his head.

"Yeah, I noticed. Imagine someone bruising _my_ face." AJ shook her head.

"Your face?" Punk laughed.

"Yeah, that's my face." She nodded to him, "I'll go have a word with him."

"Nah, I wouldn't go near him. He's like a timebomb. Explodes every now and then." He nodded to her.

"I handle a lot worse sometimes, don't give me your macho bullshit." She said as he just smiled, "Let's… let's not talk about work though." She said, reaching her hand over and grazing her fingers up and down his arm as he smiled.

Of course work was a very central part of both their lives, and sometimes it was difficult with AJ working on defence, sometimes they had disagreements, but the most important part was they always resolved them and had too much love and admiration for each other to bicker.

Right now, they just wanted to relax and enjoy their time away together. Their relationship was healthy and happy. It was something they both couldn't see ever ending or being ruined. It was way too strong for that.

* * *

"So romantic." AJ shook her head and smiled, sitting at the table outside later that night whilst she watched her boyfriend tuck into a burger, ending up with ketchup all over his cheek.

"What is?" Punk asked her.

"You." AJ smiled as he nodded in agreement.

"I try." He said as she shook her head and cleaned his face up.

"Did you speak to Cami before we left?" AJ asked him. It was nice to be so relaxed and out of everyone's business for a little while, to have some alone time. They got plenty of alone time at home for sure, especially once everything calmed down at the beginning, but this felt much more relaxing, and the place was beautiful.

"I did. She said she was working all this week, covering for another girl. I thought it was shit, not getting a day off all week but, she was cool with it." Punk shrugged.

"She's really liking working there, isn't she?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, she's always been good with kids so… doesn't surprise me that she's doing good." Punk nodded, referring to Cami who finished up her time in the rehab facility and had finally got herself on the straight and narrow. She worked at a day care as an assistant and could afford her own apartment now. Punk was extremely proud of how much strength she'd shown to overcome what life she used to live before. He knew it couldn't have been easy for her.

"It's not a job I would have patience for." AJ laughed to herself.

"No, me neither. Kids wiping their… snotty little hands over you and dragging you to watch them play with a jump rope or some shit. No thanks." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled and nodded.

"She does seem to like it, though." AJ nodded. She particularly got on well with Cami, even with the age gap. She was a lot like Punk in ways which she assumed was why she got on with her.

"I don't wanna ask, you know I don't, but… I know the trial is coming up in a few months… how you feeling about it?" Punk asked her.

After the explosive night of the fire, only two men remained out of the four attackers. Two of them died in the fire and the other two were arrested by Punk and Dean at the station. They'd saw their faces and they weren't recognisable. Sofia's family had been contacted and AJ was sure they would appear for the trial when it took place, which she was obviously testifying at. In their defence, it almost didn't seem necessary to go to trial, or even court, but it was a process and she understood that.

She tried not to think about it. Sometimes she saw flashes of their faces, the two remaining alive ones anyway. But she was just reminded that they were caught and they were where they belonged finally.

After they got no response from the two men they arrested, they cleaned up the case, tied up the loose ends, tied in Greg's case with it like Punk promised he would, and it meant they could finally relax. Dean took a few weeks off to spend time with Lia and Eva, especially after the scare they had. They had to move into a new place but they wound up seeing it as a blessing as they upgraded and were covered for all the damages.

"I'm ready." AJ nodded, "I just… go up and tell the truth." AJ said, "Finally, they go where they belong. Finally people get to know how cruel they were. What they did to Sofia, what they tried to do to me, and Lia." She said, "I see it as this whole thing finally ending." She nodded.

"Weird guys." Punk shook his head, "Makes you think what… what possesses people to think that way? To wanna hurt someone else. Someone they don't even know." Punk said.

"Because they're evil. I'm pretty sure they aren't sane, which explains a lot of things." AJ nodded, "But they're evil. Mark found himself the perfect yes men." She shook her head.

"You feel justice for Sofia?" Punk asked her, watching her begin to play with her food, breaking her burger apart into small pieces. Little quirks and habits were picked up on at this point from each other. Their relationship was very settled, very natural and the best it had ever been in their opinion.

"I do, yeah." AJ nodded, "If it weren't for you… pushing so hard to find that justice, we probably wouldn't have got it. Maybe I'd be dead. Who knows." She shrugged.

"Well you're not, two of them are, and two of them may as well be." Punk said, "You think her family will come to the trial?" Punk asked her as she nodded.

"I think so. Her brother will definitely come. Maybe my parents will. I don't know." She shrugged, "It's a big deal to them, I know that much."

"Oh, shit. So I finally meet your parents?" Punk asked her.

"I said maybe." AJ said, "And it's not something I'd get too excited about it." She laughed a little, "I still haven't met your mom."

"Yeah and you're not gonna." Punk laughed at the idea, "You know what you're gonna say in court?" He asked her.

"I've spoke to the counsellor on the phone a few times briefly, she's not worried about me because I… well I know the system, I know how things are bent in order to… have people take in what they wanna hear." She nodded, "But I'd imagine nearer to the time I'll meet with her to really go over it."

"Yeah." Punk nodded, leaning back on the chair as he looked at her. She was wearing a simple sun dress, no make-up on with her hair down and wavy. Every time he looked at her, he just couldn't help stare, no matter where they were. It was the perfect sitting, with the stars in the sky and the fairy lights around the villa's garden, "You look beautiful." Punk nodded with a relaxed smile as she looked across at him.

"So do you." AJ smiled back as he laughed a little, "You know… maybe I regret not going in the pool earlier." AJ nodded, turning around and looking at the large pool which was now lit up from underneath.

"You've got a full week." Punk laughed a little, not catching on, watching as she stood up from the table and took her dress off. He leaned back on the chair and watched as she walked over to the pool, sitting down on the edge and slipping in, watching her go under the water and back up, running her hands through her wet hair as he smiled and nodded, "You know you shouldn't go swimming after eating." He told her as she placed her arms on the edge of the pool, resting her chin on them and smiling at him.

"Who said I came in here to swim?" She smiled, "Now either… you come in and join me? Or I'll just take care of myself in front of you. It's your choice." She nodded as Punk chuckled quietly to himself and nodded.

He stood up from the table, stripping his t-shirt and shorts off, walking over to the pool, getting in with her as she immediately wrapped herself around him, her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"Hi." AJ smiled, leaning her forehead against his as he smiled.

"Hey." Punk whispered, pressing his lips against hers softly, running his hands down her sides, pulling her panties down under the water as she helped him out, tossing the wet underwear out of the pool, unclasping her bra and doing the same with it as she pressed her body closer against his.

"I don't think I've ever had sex in a pool before." Punk admitted whilst kissing her neck, moving over to the edge with her in his arms.

"Me neither." AJ smiled, rolling her head back as he kissed her neck and down her throat, pushing her against the edge of the pool as she moaned longingly, pushing his boxers down with her feet as he smiled and found her entrance, pushing inside her, his arms around her as she rolled her head back, "Fuck." AJ gasped with a smile, cupping his cheeks and kissing him softly, "Fuck that's good." She moaned against his mouth as he smiled and nodded.

"You feel good." Punk replied, nuzzling her neck as he began to move in and out of her. There were new feelings with being in the water, and it also made things easier for her to just cling around him so freely.

"F-Fuck, baby." AJ moaned, he eyes widening as Punk thrust into her hard, the water moving around them whilst her ankles locked around his waist, cupping and touching his face to look him in the eyes whilst he moved in her with ease.

"Jesus, April." Punk moaned, holding her waist under the water as AJ gasped, even more thankful that they were surrounded by no one and nothing, especially with the noise coming from his girlfriend.

"Yes, baby… I'm… I'm gonna cum." She nodded to him as he put his hand between them, stroking her clit underneath whilst thrusting into her as she buckled around him and lost it, "Yes, right there!" AJ moaned loudly, "Yes!" She nodded, over and over again until her orgasm burst, holding onto him, grazing her teeth along his wet shoulder whilst her body tingled from top to bottom, "Fuck." She gasped in ecstasy as Punk smiled and kissed her neck.

"Turn around." Punk nodded as she smiled, feeling him pull out of her as she turned around, her stomach pressing against the edge of the pool, feeling him hold her hips and push back inside her as she smiled to herself and bit her lip.

"Fuck, baby." AJ moaned, clenching her fists over the edge of the pool whilst Punk began thrusting in and out of her from there.

They carried on to have fun until Punk finally couldn't hold back, reaching his peak with AJ turned back the other way again, clinging to him whilst her back pressed against the edge. He felt everything rush to the one area and moaned as he came inside her.

"Look at me." AJ told him whilst he was mid releasing, tilting his face to look at her, his mouth gaping as he came hard, "Yeah, look at me when you cum inside me." She nodded, kissing the corner of his mouth whilst he grunted, slowly pushing in and out of her, feeling every last drop release whilst she kissed around his face.

"We should get one of these at home." AJ whispered as he chuckled, leaning his head on her shoulder and looking up at her and nodded.

"I don't think the neighbours would appreciate it." Punk laughed, trying to find his breath as AJ ran her hands through his wet hair slicked back.

"Fuck the neighbours." AJ smiled and shrugged, "Maybe when we're richer, we could just… move out here and stay." She said as he smiled and laughed.

"Would be nice." He nodded, "Somehow I don't think we'd reach that level of richness." He laughed a little as she smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe we'll just stick to vacations then." She smiled, pressing her lips against his as he kissed back.


	40. Normality

**Normality**

* * *

"What are you doing with your leg?" AJ shook her head, walking into their bedroom just after getting home from their week away together. At first, it felt strange to officially be living together, but they'd practically been doing it for a long time anyway, and it didn't feel wrong in any way. Waking up to him was a part of her life she couldn't see leaving her.

"It's gotten stiff from the flight." Punk sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed where he was massaging his knee, the one which had been shot a year ago when they ran into two of the four men whom killed Sofia. He got it stitched after the fire and had to rehab it a lot, but he knew he'd probably went back to work too soon, which explained the twinges he still got in it.

"You're just old." AJ teased as Punk nodded.

"I am." Punk agreed seriously as she smiled, "It's fucking sore." He sighed to himself as she closed their room door over.

"Take some pain killers." She shook her head.

"No thanks." Punk scoffed as she just shook her head.

"Then don't complain to me, what do you want me to do about it?" She asked him. They'd definitely found a grasp of each other's personality. He felt like there was no one who knew him better than she did and vice versa, and sometimes that caught them both out.

"Can you rub it?" Punk asked like a child as AJ looked at him and folded her arms.

"I was gonna unpack." AJ said, looking over at the two suitcases which sat unpacked by the toilet door.

"Oh… no… no, we can do that tomorrow." He nodded softly, taking her hand and pulling her over, "You do it good, you make it better." He nodded as she just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Lie up then." AJ nodded as he quickly scrambled onto his back on the bed to lie flat out whilst she climbed onto her side and knelt beside him, "If it still gives you bother you should really go to the doctors." AJ told him, placing her hand over his knee.

"No, baby. I don't like em'." He whined as she rubbed his knee and massaged it as best she could.

"I don't think anyone likes going to the doctors." AJ laughed a little, "It feels inflamed." She admitted, rubbing around it gently.

"Must have been all the hard work you had me doing the past week." He said as AJ just smiled.

"Most of it was in the pool. That should have helped it." She laughed.

"Oh, yeah." Punk realised, "If it gets worse I can always just chop it off." He said.

"That's true." AJ agreed with him as he smiled.

"Just means I can't be a top tonight." He shrugged.

"You're very rarely on top anyway, sweetie, don't kid yourself." AJ said as Punk lifted his head a little and looked at her, "Just the truth."

"I just go with the flow." Punk said as she nodded.

"Mhm." AJ said, "I glad we have tomorrow to actually have a day at home before going back to work. I'd be so stressed if we were back tomorrow." She shook her head, folding her legs in a basket, continuing to sit and rub his leg. She knew it did give him a lot of pain, and she done her best to make sure she could help him out with it.

"Yeah, that would have been a nightmare." Punk agreed, "Dean will probably swing by to fill me in on things anyway. And you're… what? Taking a case I assume?"

"Yeah I've had like 4 messages left on my phone, telling me about a client in custody. They know I'm on vacation." She rolled her eyes, "I'll go see him right away." She said.

"What's the damage?" Punk asked her.

"Attempted murder." AJ shook her head, "Why is it they all come to me?"

"Because you're good at it." Punk laughed, "Is there any cases you just wouldn't take?"

"I would never take a rape case." AJ said, "I would look at it and see if there was any sort of… story to it, but I tend to avoid them. If a girl claims they're raped, who am I to… to say she wasn't?" AJ shook her head.

"But you can represent the good old murderers?" Punk asked her.

"Some are actually innocent, some are at the wrong place at the wrong time, and some just… aren't sane or they didn't mean it. There's ways to get around it." AJ nodded, "I don't… I don't praise murder, it's what most people think about me, it's probably what you thought of me the entire time. I don't. I look at the person. Their story. Their upbringing. The facts." She said.

"And that's why people want you as their lawyer." Punk nodded to her, "Sometimes I don't always agree with you, but… you're damn good." He said as she smiled.

"Took me long enough." She shook her head, "I remember being on my first case. It was a… a robbery, just a house one. And the guy was so guilty." She rolled her eyes, "I won of course but… still." She shook her head.

"Where'd you get it from?" Punk asked her, "Court AJ is a lot different to… AJ I see here."

"I think that's the same in every job, though. I'm private, I keep things close to me, people too. When I'm in court I need to be personal and… harsh." She said, "That's not the real me. It's just a part of me. I always said it was the poor childish part of me that was able to do it." She nodded as he just nodded along.

"You think your parents will come out for the trial?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure." AJ shook her head, "My mom doesn't like flying, and… I haven't saw them in over almost two years." She said, "There's no bitterness towards them but we're not close." She nodded.

"Shouldn't I… meet them? We've been dating for over a year now." He said.

"I don't think it's a big deal anymore, meeting the parents. They're not very involved people. Me… finding someone, even me getting married, wouldn't phase them." She said.

"Whose getting married?" Punk chuckled nervously as she just smiled.

"I was just saying hypothetically." She smiled to him, even though she knew he was marriage material and that she wouldn't want to be with anyone else for the rest of her life, other than him.

"It's parents, isn't it?" Punk shrugged, "Some are good, some aren't… so good." Punk nodded, "I guess I'll see them when I see them then." Punk nodded, "Might be at the wedding who knows." He joked as AJ just smiled, "Ok, the leg will be fine, your hands have healed it I think." He nodded as she just smiled, shuffling up the bed and lying down beside him.

"Thank you for the week away." She smiled up at him, lying into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Thank you." Punk replied with a smile. They'd just spent the full week relaxing, enjoying time together, taking turns of cooking and making love in… different places.

"We need to do it more often." She said as he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we do." Punk smiled, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss on her lips.

* * *

The next day, Dean had come around to the house whilst AJ was unpacking the suitcases upstairs.

"How was the vacation?" Dean asked him, standing in the kitchen, having escaped on his break to come visit.

"Needed." Punk nodded to him, "It was good. I'll hook you up with it if you ever wanna go. It might not be your style, it's… like in the middle of nowhere." He said.

"That's exactly my style." Dean nodded, "Where is AJ?" He asked.

"She's upstairs fixing the bags. We got home late last night and just crashed." He said as Dean nodded, "How has work been?" He asked, getting up and wandering over to the fridge to grab out a bottle of water.

"It's been ok. Quiet I guess." Dean nodded, "I took a few days off at the start of the week so I've just been following up some reports." He said as Punk nodded.

"How are Lia and Eva?" Punk asked him.

"They're good. Lia was working today so Eva went to my mom. She loves being there." Dean nodded.

After the fire and the scare of it all, he made a commitment, a more stronger commitment to his family, and to make sure he didn't bring his work home with him ever again. Eva was nearly two years old now and Lia was back at work full time.

"Is she difficult going off in the morning?" Punk asked him.

"No, she's all for it now." Dean nodded, "Which helps us out. My mom is retired so… she really doesn't mind."

"Your mom is definitely the kid whisperer." Punk smiled as Dean laughed and nodded.

"I saw Cami a few days ago on her way to work. She's looking good. I mean… healthy." He rephrased as Punk just smiled and nodded, of course knowing what he meant.

"Yeah she's doing good. Living on the other side of town is helping her out. Means she doesn't have to face the people she used to hang with." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"That's good. She worked hard at it." Dean nodded.

"Yeah, she still is." Punk said.

"Spoke to your mom at all?" Dean asked curiously.

"Uh… not since a few months ago when she was in town. She doesn't come near me. She knows better." Punk said, "Speaking of… AJ said her parents might come over for the trial, for Sofia's trial." He said as Dean nodded, "I got the feeling they're like… the take no shit type of people."

"Is someone nervous?" Dean smiled, "It's not easy having a girlfriend, is it?" He asked.

"Well I just don't want them to think bad of me. AJ said they probably won't come but… there might be a chance they do."

"Don't sweat it." Dean shook his head, "If it makes you feel any better… not a lot of people like you, her parents wouldn't be the first." He shrugged as Punk looked across at him.

"Thank you." Punk smiled sarcastically as Dean just nodded.

"That's ok." Dean said just as AJ came into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Dean." AJ smiled.

"Hey." Dean smiled, "Nice vacation?" He asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah, it was great. Although Phil has a sore knee now." She told him.

"Do I… wanna know why?" Dean raised a brow slowly to Punk.

"It's the sore one that gets fucked every now and then." Punk assured him as Dean nodded.

"Man you gotta go get that checked it out." Dean said.

"That's what I said." AJ nodded.

"I don't like doctors, ok?" Punk told them both.

"Maybe it's just old age." Dean shrugged.

"Hilarious. You should be a comedian." Punk nodded.

"I was… being serious." Dean cringed, "We're not spring chickens anymore, are we?" He said as Punk just shook his head.

"No, apparently not." Punk said, "It'll be fine. I just need to shake it off, it'll feel better." He nodded as AJ just shook her head and smiled.

"Ready for work tomorrow, children?" Dean asked them both.

"Yes and no." AJ said, "I got a new client to visit. Getting into a new case is always exhausting but… we've had a good break." She nodded to Punk.

"And I'm not looking forward to dealing with assholes again." Punk said as Dean laughed.

"It's not been too terrible actually. The assholes only must come out for you." Dean said.

"It'd make sense." Punk nodded.

"How is Lia and Eva?" AJ smiled and asked Dean. She was very close to Lia, of course through Dean and Punk's closeness. Sometimes they had dinner together or they just had different outings and she'd definitely missed the feeling of having a close girl friend around.

"They're good. I was just saying to Phil, Eva has been going to my mom now since Lia is full time again. She's loving it."

"Oh, that's good." AJ smiled, "I know you guys were worried about leaving her."

"Yeah, but it makes it so much easier when she's ok. She loves spending time at my mom's." Dean nodded.

"I'm glad." AJ smiled, "I'll need to see Lia soon, I still have her cardigan from the BBQ a few weeks ago."

"Oh, she probably won't have noticed it's missing." Dean waved his hand as AJ smiled, "Ok, I suppose I do need to get back to work. I'll see your stupid face tomorrow then?" He asked Punk.

"You will." Punk smiled, sitting back down at the kitchen table.

"Ok, see you both later." He nodded, leaving the kitchen and walking out of the house.

"He looks like he's missed you." AJ smiled over to Punk, "It's sweet." She said as Punk just nodded, "How is the knee?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it's ok. Once I start walking on it more I'll be good. It's cause I took a break."

"You gotta go back to being mister no days off." AJ said as he nodded.

"I do." Punk said tiredly.

"If you wanna get to walking on it more… maybe you could go grab a pizza for us?" She smiled.

"Oh, I suppose so." He nodded as she smiled, leaning over and giving him a kiss, "I'm gonna swing by and see Cami anyway."

"Ok, tell her I said hi and I'll come see her sometime this week when I get a chance." AJ nodded, rushing back out of the kitchen to head upstairs as Punk just smiled.


	41. Home

**Home**

* * *

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you were back." Cami said, answering the door to her apartment where Punk stood outside.

"Yeah, last night we got back." Punk nodded, walking on into the apartment. He was super proud of his sister for stabilising herself and getting on a straight path. She had a good job, a good apartment, and was no longer surrounded by the people who used to influence her all the time.

"Did you have a nice time?" Cami asked him.

"Yeah, it was great. Felt weird actually, not doing anything." He admitted, walking around the corner and into the kitchen with her.

"Yeah you normally can't sit still for nothing." Cami smiled, "But you definitely needed a break." She laughed a little, "Sometimes I'm afraid you're gonna lose your mind."

"Yeah me too." Punk nodded, "I was just on my way for a pizza, wanted to stop by and see how you were." He said.

"Yeah I'm good." Cami nodded, "Finally got a day off tomorrow."

"How you spending it?" Punk asked her, watching her switch the coffee machine on and pull out a mug.

"Doing absolutely nothing. One of my favourite things as of late." Cami said, "How is AJ?" She asked.

"She's good. Said she'd stop by this week to see you. She's busy unpacking and freaking out over work." She nodded as Cami smiled.

"Tell her not to worry." Cami smiled, "Excited to go back to the grind?" She asked him, folding her arms.

"A little." Punk nodded, "Mostly just so I have something to do." He admitted truthfully.

"And that trial is coming up soon, right?" Cami asked.

"Few weeks." Punk nodded, "Yeah, it'll be good to get that out of the way. I imagine it's gonna go on for quite a while. Especially working with two… fucking idiots who don't speak." He shook his head.

"They've got that little boys trial as part of it too, haven't they?" Cami asked.

"Yeah well it's all linked. They'll carry out Sofia's, AJ's kidnap, the fire at Dean's place and the kid's hit and run." Punk nodded, "Could go on for weeks." He groaned a little.

"Are you testifying?" Cami asked him.

"For certain parts, yeah. So is Dean, Lia and… of course AJ." Punk said, "Baffles me that they can't just lock them up and throw away the key."

"Yeah, you'd think." Cami said, "It sounds like it's gonna be a while then." She sighed as Punk nodded.

"I'd much rather be sitting in a court room watching it all play out than be sitting in an office wondering how we can catch them." Punk said as Cami nodded.

"Of course." Cami said.

"How is the day care going?" Punk asked, "Still enjoying cleaning up after all the ugly children?" He smiled as Cami shook her head.

"You're terrible." She laughed, "I am enjoying it, yeah." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'm glad." Punk smiled, "Ok, I better go and get this pizza before AJ throttles me when I get home." He said as Cami smiled. She was glad to see the new found happiness in her brother from his relationship with AJ, and it just so happened that she got on very well with AJ.

"Uh… Phil, wait a minute." Cami said before letting Punk leave the kitchen, "Look, you're a cop so… you normally find out everything." She nodded, "Justin was… here a few days ago." She nodded as Punk's expression changed, his eyebrows narrowing as he looked down at her, "It wasn't anything bad. He… well he came to see how I was." She shrugged.

"And I hope you said good and then shut the door." Punk said as Cami sighed.

"He wasn't drunk or high. He was just checking in on me." Cami said.

"Why now?" Punk asked.

"Well he said he knew you were away." Cami said as Punk rolled his eyes, "There's nothing going to happen, I promise. I told him how I was, that I was doing good and that… I didn't want him around. He understood." She nodded.

"Did he? Or is he just trying to make you feel sorry for him? He's a junkie. He just sees you as a… a source for money, a place to stay, drugs-"

"He was my boyfriend, you know." Cami said, "It wasn't just about the drugs or money. Believe it or not he did, care about me."

"You're right. I don't believe it." Punk said, "Just stay away from him-"

"I am. He came to me." Cami said.

"Well then do I needa go fucking talk to him myself?" Punk asked her.

"No, it's none of your business." Cami shook her head, "I can still care about him."

"You've worked too damn hard for yourself, to just give it all up. You start seeing him again and you go back down that dark road. You give up on all this. An actual stable life." He said, "For someone who doesn't care about you?"

"I'm not giving anything up. I'm just telling you before you hear it from someone else. I'm not getting back with him. I told him that." Cami said.

"I'm not just saying it to be your mean big brother, Camila." Punk said, "I just care, and I want what's best for you, and trust me, it's not that idiot." He said.

"Yeah, I know that." Cami said, "I just thought you should know, before you find out somehow and go off on one."

"You're better off without him." Punk told her, "You know that."

"I know." Cami nodded, "Just go… go get your pizza." She shook her head, pushing him forward as Punk just smiled and nodded.

"Ok. Stay good." He said, messing the top of her hair as she pushed his arm away and walked him out of the apartment.

* * *

"Oh, yeah. Bust out the files on the murderer whilst we're eating pizza." Punk nodded, watching AJ walk over to the kitchen table with some of her work after he had come home with pizza.

"Uh attempted murder, my dear." AJ smiled to him, sitting down across from him and dumping her papers beside her, "I just need to be prepared for what I'm facing. I got the files on the case dropped off." She told him.

"Let me see him." Punk said as AJ turned around the front paper as Punk cringed, "I have bad blood pressure as it is but you being in a room with people like that is the worst." He shook his head.

"I'm used to it." AJ shook her head, "You'd be surprised the amount of people that I help that were just… in the wrong place, or they didn't mean for what happened, to happen." She said as Punk just hmm'd at her and reached for another slice of pizza, "How was Cami?"

"She's good. Well, she told me Justin, her ex junkie boyfriend had come around, asked her how she was, as far as I know, that was it." Punk said, "Now I'm nervous in case she starts falling down that trap again."

"He just came to see how she was?" AJ asked him as Punk nodded.

"So she says. But… that's what would happen before. He'd come around, act all sweet and innocent, she'd fall for it and end up back with him in a state." Punk said.

"She meet him in high school or something?" AJ asked him.

"No. He's older." Punk said, "I don't know how they met, probably… a friend of a friend." He assumed, "I never cared to know."

"Well you gotta consider that Cami might still care for this guy. You telling her that he's worthless and he doesn't care about her… it's not helping. Be a little more gentle." AJ said, "She's still young."

"And she knows that he's the most damaging part of her problems. He's like the catalyst. I know… I know it's none of my business, but she's come this far, gotten clean for this long, and she's got this job she likes and a nice place… I really don't want to see her lose it all."

"She won't. Implying that she will probably makes her think you don't believe in her. She's a strong girl. Anyone who goes into that rehab facility comes out strong, trust me." She nodded, "And she'll know what's good and bad for her." She said as Punk just sighed.

"This is probably why she likes you better than me." Punk shook his head.

"Because I talk to her instead of giving her into trouble?" AJ raised a brow.

"I don't give her into trouble." Punk scoffed, "I'm just protective."

"I know, and it's sweet, and I'm sure she loves it, but… she'll be ok. She's a smart girl." AJ said as Punk just nodded.

"We were talking about the trial… to put it into perspective, I think it could last a pretty long time, there's so much to cover. The full of Sofia's case, your stuff, the fire, the kid in the hit and run." Punk said, "Could be a long process."

"Yeah and then it's finally done." AJ nodded, "And we can all… move on." She smiled, "Part of me just… wished they all died." She shook her head, "I feel like it would have been easier."

"Well they're as good as dead anyway." Punk shook his head, "They'll never get out of prison."

"Definitely not." AJ agreed, "It just… it feels good for it not to define me anymore. It always hung over me. Thinking about Sofia, how… it should have been me-"

"No, it should have been no one." Punk said, "No one should have got hurt by those monsters. Yeah, they were bad people and your family got mixed up in it with money, but that doesn't mean they… they go kill anyone, especially the way they did." He said as AJ nodded.

"I know I just… it just gets to me sometimes. She was innocent and probably didn't know what was even going on." She shook her head, rubbing her forehead as Punk sighed.

"You can't torture yourself with it." Punk said, "She'd want you to just… move on with your life, have a life." Punk smiled, "And you are. We got them. Two already perished so… it's just another two left." He nodded as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Wouldn't have got them without you." AJ smiled, "She would have liked you." She nodded as Punk smiled, "Oh, maybe I don't wanna go back to work." She sighed a little, looking on at her paper work.

"Yeah, the thought of it is tiring." Punk nodded, "Once we get cracking it'll be fine." He said.

"I hope so." AJ took a deep sigh, "Gotta shake the cobwebs off."

"Oh my God, we've been off for a week not a year." He laughed.

"Yeah and I can go rusty." AJ nodded, "All that sun, sex and… burgers have gone to my head." She said as Punk chuckled.

"Mostly the burgers." Punk said.

"Well yeah." AJ agreed, scribbling down some things on her papers, "The last thing I wanna return to is a man who thinks I owe him shit and I can do and say what he pleases." She said, "There's so many of them out there it's… kinda scary." She raised her brows as Punk nodded.

"Yeah we should find a way to banish them all." He waved his hand.

"Would be nice." AJ agreed as Punk smiled. A normal setting in a normal relationship was something they weren't familiar with until over the past year, and they believed it was only working out because their relationship was so right. They just clicked, like they did with no one else. And they'd made a home with one another. An unexpected one, but nevertheless, a home.


	42. Starting Up

**Starting Up**

* * *

"Well that was a fucking nightmare." Punk shook his head, "Best thing is when people don't believe you have a fucking warrant." He said, walking through the station with Dean.

"Welcome back." Dean laughed, rubbing Punk's shoulders as Punk just nodded.

"Hey, Phil." Ian nodded in passing, pausing, "How was the vacation? Get a tan?" He asked.

"No, I just burn." Punk said, "It was good. Most importantly it was fucking needed after this place driving me over the edge for too long." He made clear.

"You signed up for it." Ian reminded him as Punk just muttered under his breath, "Left a little hidden gem on your desk in the office, might wanna take a look, if you're not busy." He nodded to them both, walking on by them as Punk turned to Dean.

"Better be a raise." Punk shook his head, walking down the rows of desks. Ian had decided to permanently give them the office as it wasn't in use for anyone else and he was very proud of what they'd achieved when they conquered Sofia's case.

Dean walked on eagerly, opening up the door and tilting his head to the side with confusion as he saw their geeky, annoying tech nerd sitting behind their desk.

"Did you get lost on the way to the toilet?" Dean asked Seth, walking on into the office as Punk followed with confusion, "What are you doing in here?"

"Ian asked me to come." Seth said, "There's a case he wants us to look at-"

"Us?" Punk groaned, "Why… why do you always have to get thrown in the mix with us? Ok, so you helped us once, we thanked you, big deal… now… now you can go back to being a computer freak." He said as Seth raised a brow.

"It's not my fault Ian tells me to come help you idiots whenever you guys start digging into shit that doesn't need to be dug into." Seth said.

"Well what's the case then, Einstein?" Dean shook his head as Seth shook his head. Ever since he helped them with Sofia's case, he'd floated back and forth to their aid. They had a love/hate relationship. Punk and Dean openly told him how they felt about him, but really, they wouldn't have let anything happen to the little guy.

"Well there is… a little bit of illegal activities going on." Seth said as Punk shook his head.

"We're cops. That could mean a whole range of things." Punk reminded him.

"Illegal pornography and drug smuggling." Seth said as Punk shook his head.

"In what context?" Dean asked.

"Well there was this thing a long time ago with the increase in cocaine coming from South America. I mean these people get caught out, it's not like how it used to be. Only… now it's not just drugs."

"Great." Punk ran his hand over his face, "How do you know this?"

"Someone reported it. The… pornography. Things in the background of it and the fact there's no way this girl is over eighteen. So I'm trying to track who published it, cause these people make money from that shit, you know?" Seth said.

"You seem to know an awful lot about the pornography world." Dean folded his arms.

"Yeah and it's so fucked up shit like this doesn't happen." Seth bit back.

"What do you need us to do?" Punk asked him.

"Once I figure out an address then we can take it from there. From what I picked up on, from how much I could bare to listen to, the girl isn't American so… transfers are being looked at-"

"Is this just one girl? One video?" Dean asked.

"No, the account has so many published." Seth said, "So we probably have a better ground to work from. As unfortunate as that sounds."

"Ok and what about the drugs?" Punk asked, "Anything we could do about that for the time being?"

"Just out on patrol, you know the local places that you're likely to find stuff, clubs, bars, streets, if there's a high amount being dosed out, it might be a good place to start." Seth said as Punk and Dean nodded, "And then I'll get back to you."

"Ok. But get out of our office." Punk said as Seth looked up at them.

"We're working on this together. I need to be here to… to hang things up and-"

"Fine." Punk waved his hand, "Keep it tidy." He pointed.

"I'm not five." Seth shook his head, "Go away then, go be big tough cops whilst I stay here and do the real work." He said as Punk and Dean just shook their head and laughed a little. The best part was knowing they got under his skin.

* * *

"Ok, I will meet with you in a few days to go over more in depth what happened." AJ said, clearing up her things as she sat across from her client whom she had met with for the first time. He was just a normal guy in her eyes. Going into meet a new client, she made sure to never have pre-conceived ideas of who they were and what they had done.

"What are the odds looking for me?" He asked her. He had a family, a wife and two kids, a sturdy job, and in AJ's opinion, had been put in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Well I think it's ridiculous they're calling this attempted murder." AJ shook her head, "But that's what the system is like and you gotta be ready for that. Most likely if it wasn't someone you knew, like your brother, they wouldn't be calling it that." She said, "There's a lot to work with so… that should be a good thing." She nodded to him.

"Well you're not coming cheap so… I expect good things." He nodded as AJ paused for a second and looked across at him.

"Well the moment you start expecting anything from me… you make an ass out of yourself. May I remind you, I'm not the one in the handcuffs." She stood up as he gulped and looked up at her, "I'm sure there's a rookie defence lawyer out there who needs the experience and who'd be interested in taking this case over." She said as he just glared at her, "Or you can shut your face, let me do my job, and don't ever think that I owe you absolutely anything ever again." She said as the man just looked down and said nothing, "Yeah, I thought so." She nodded, packing her things into her bag.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I'm just worried." He nodded.

"Well you should be. No one sits there and thinks this will be a breeze." She said, "All you gotta do is tell me everything. Leave the rest to me." She said as he just nodded, "And get this idea and expectation out of your head of what you want me to do for you." She reminded him as he put his hands up and nodded.

"I appreciate your help." He nodded.

"Yeah, they always do." AJ said, "I'll see you in a few days." She said, putting her coat on and leaving the room whilst the man, named Jeff, was guided out the opposite way back to the cells.

She walked down the corridor and into the main receptions area, about to walk out when Joan called on her.

"April." Joan said as AJ turned around and walked over to the desk, "Phil wanted me to tell you if I saw you that he'll be home later tonight." She said as AJ nodded.

"Why am I not surprised?" AJ smiled, "Thanks for letting me know." AJ nodded as Joan smiled. Joan who had never really been excited to speak to AJ, or Punk for that matter, could see first-hand how much they'd both changed since getting together, they seemed way more approachable. She wasn't saying they were evil and cold before, but she certainly preferred talking to them now. She could see happiness in them both that they didn't have prior to their relationship.

"That's ok." Joan said, "Did you enjoy your vacation?" She asked.

"We did, yeah." AJ smiled, "It was nice to get away from everything." She nodded, "For a week at least." She said, "Do you know what Phil is off doing?" She wondered curiously. She knew Punk would let her know later on but she couldn't help be curious as to why he was working late.

"I'm not sure. He and Dean were headed out. Looked like on patrol." Joan said as AJ just nodded.

"Ok." AJ smiled and nodded, leaving the station and walking to her car.

* * *

"Thank you." AJ smiled as Cami passed her a cup of tea, sitting in her living room in her apartment.

"No problem." Cami smiled, sitting down on the couch beside. They'd gotten close and AJ wasn't sure how it happened considering the age gap, but they got on so well and she thought it was important considering she was dating her brother.

"First day back, right?" Cami asked her.

"Yeah, first day." AJ sighed tiredly, "First day and someone is already telling me what they expect of me." She laughed to herself, "A man of course."

"I don't know how you do it." Cami said.

"Me neither sometimes." AJ admitted, "Phil said your… ex had been around." She said, "What's that about?" She asked.

"I told him not to worry." Cami rolled her eyes, "He just came to see if I was ok. I don't think there's anything wrong with that." She laughed a little.

"There's not but… he's your brother. He just doesn't want you to-"

"I know get back on drugs. I get it. I don't want to either." Cami said, "I like my life right now, for the first time in so long." She rolled her eyes, "But just because we did drugs together didn't mean I didn't care about him. He's my first proper boyfriend."

"And I get that." AJ nodded, "Maybe Phil doesn't, but I do. But… the fact you care about him could be your downfall." She said as Cami sighed and nodded.

"I know that." Cami said, "He's not a bad guy." She shook her head.

"I don't know him." AJ told her, "I'm sure he's not a bad guy. Trust me, I know bad guys." She nodded, "But sometimes what we love can also… hurt us." She nodded as Cami sighed a little.

"I know. Trust me, I don't wanna get back with him." Cami assured her, "The reason I told Phil was because… if he found out on his own he'd go crazy."

"He just cares about you." AJ nodded.

"I know." Cami said as AJ took a sip of her tea, "Enjoy the vacation?" She asked.

"Yeah, it was great. Wish we took the two weeks now I'm back." She said.

"Well you guys work hard." Cami said, "Vigorous long hours, must catch up to you." She said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, they sure do." AJ nodded.

"I'm sure you're nervous about the trial?" Cami asked her.

"A little. Not… not overly." AJ said, "I think because it's so obvious they're going away for life. It almost seems… stupid to have a trial." She said, "But I get the system. I know it's a process." She said.

"They'll probably die in prison. Get killed I mean." Cami said, "Murderers, rapists… I know what I'd do with them." She shook her head as AJ nodded.

"To me… they're not even human, though. And that scares me that there's people out there like that. Working in this line of work, I always thought I'd be exposed to just… helping people, vulnerable people who just needed someone to believe in them but… I didn't think I'd be exposed to the amount of… terrifying people I have been." She said as Cami nodded.

"Well they're out there. We know that." Cami said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said, "Hey, you got any cookies?" She asked, "I'm hungry."

"Yeah in the kitchen." Cami said as AJ stood up, sitting her tea over on the coffee table, "Uh… either… in the top drawer by the oven or the drawer beside the fridge. I… I put them somewhere different every time." She shrugged as AJ smiled and nodded, "And bring me in some." She told her as AJ nodded.

AJ walked into the kitchen, looking in one of the drawers first, rummaging through some of the cookies on one side of the drawer whilst the other seemed to be paper work and letters.

Not that she was snooping by any means, but the piece of small paper jumped out at her as she lifted it up, looking on at the baby sonogram with Cami's name printed at the top, the date showing just a few weeks ago.


	43. Secret

**Secret**

* * *

"Did you find them?" Cami asked, walking into the kitchen as AJ tried to quickly throw the black and white picture back into the drawer and close it, but Cami had already walked in and saw that she had found it, "Why do you have that?" Cami asked, the colour draining out of her face.

"You… this drawer, you told me to go into it for the cookies." AJ shook her head, "I just wanted cookies."

"You rummaged through my things?" Cami asked her angrily.

"It was staring at me in the face." AJ said, "You're pregnant?" She asked as Cami sighed and rubbed her hand over her face, "How far along?"

"I didn't want anyone to know about this." Cami shook her head as AJ looked at her.

"Well it's not something you can exactly hide for long." AJ said, "Is it your ex's?" She asked, "Is that why he came to see you?"

"No." Cami shook her head, "No, it's not him. It doesn't matter whose it is. I… I don't think I… I'm not sure I want to have it." She said honestly as AJ nodded.

"Ok." AJ said, "Not that I know anything about this, I can listen, if you need to talk." AJ nodded, "You have every right to decide what… what you think is best." She said as Cami nodded.

"I don't think I can have a kid." Cami said, "I've just got my life together. The dad.. isn't involved. I've just got a good job, taking time off would be… the wrong thing for me to do right now." She said as AJ nodded.

"Hey, you gotta be ready for it and if there's something in you, telling you you're not, then you definitely gotta think about it. You're still really young." AJ said.

"Well I was going to decide and… make sure no one knew about it." Cami sighed, "Because you knowing means my brother has to know, and I don't want him to know about this."

"Phil would not be against you doing what's best for you, if that's what you think." AJ said.

"I know he wouldn't, but… he's been so proud of me lately and it's nice. I tell him this and he'll just be… on my case for not being careful or-"

"No, he won't." AJ shook her head, "Yes, he's protective and he looks out for you but… it can happen to anyone and he'd be more interested in if you're ok, and doing what's best for you." AJ nodded, "It's your choice. Your decision."

"I just don't know." Cami sighed, "I… I know as much as I definitely don't want to keep it. I spoke to my OB about adoption. I don't need to see or hold the baby if I don't want to, so… it could go straight to parents who want a kid." She said as AJ looked across at her and nodded slowly.

"You need to think about it. It's a big thing." AJ nodded. She didn't feel it was her place or anyone's place to tell Cami what the best option for her was. Only she could figure that out. AJ just wanted her to know she'd be supported.

"I don't know." Cami sighed.

"The dad… does he know?" AJ asked.

"No. Trust me, there's no point. I'm not telling him." Cami made clear.

"So he was just… one night stand?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Cami nodded bluntly.

"Ok." AJ said, "Look I don't know what kind of advice to give you. I've never been in your position before but… we will support-I will support you on whatever it is you want to do." AJ nodded.

"Thank you." Cami smiled softly, "Are you gonna tell Phil?" She asked worriedly, "Cause I… I really would prefer he didn't know, if I go through with the abortion that is."

"It's not my place to tell him." AJ said as Cami nodded, "But I think you should think about things hard before making any decisions. How far are you right now?"

"Nine weeks." Cami said as AJ nodded.

"Ok, so give yourself some time. Don't rush your decision, because it's a big one." AJ said as Cami nodded, "You definitely wouldn't… consider keeping it?" She wondered.

"Not where my head is at right now." Cami said as AJ nodded, "I… can barely look after myself. Every day is still a struggle with me. And I don't wanna have someone depend on me when I'm like that… not to mention, I probably afford a kid." She sighed as AJ nodded.

"It's a lot of stress." AJ nodded, "You just gotta take your time and think about it." She said, placing her hand on Cami's arm as she nodded, "You're just out of your teens. You-You have every right to feel… not ready." She said as Cami nodded.

"Thank you." Cami said. She thought not telling people would be easy, but actually having someone to confide in, especially someone as understanding as AJ, it actually made her feel a little better about things and her situation.

* * *

"To me this feels like the DOJ." Punk said, driving home later that night with Dean, "I mean, what are we supposed to do about this?" He asked, "There's big cases and then there's larger than life."

"Yeah, it does seem pretty high profiled, even for us." Dean said, "I guess we could just keep an eye on the drug situation, increase on cocaine shouldn't be hard to spot in these areas." Dean said, "And let Seth do his magic and figure out what's going on with these girls." Dean nodded.

"Fucking sucks." Punk shook his head, "Just when you catch one bastard, a whole load of them appear." He said as Dean nodded.

"I do think you're right about the DOJ. I think they should be contacted about this. This is their field. We can only do so much." Dean said.

"Maybe Ian has already contacted them and he just wants us to… try and piece some stuff if we can, whilst… babysitting the computer nerd." Punk shook his head.

"He's alright." Dean laughed a little, "I kinda like him, secretly."

"Yeah, me too. But he's also the most annoying person I've ever met." Punk said as Dean chuckled a little.

"Smart as hell, though." Dean said.

"Yeah, I suppose." Punk nodded.

"So how about that for a first day back?" Dean said, pulling up outside AJ and Punk's house, which felt strange referring it to that but definitely something he was getting used to.

"I wasn't expecting anything less I suppose." Punk laughed a little, "Now to see how AJ's day went."

"Yeah I gotta go pick Eva up from my mom's. Hopefully she'll be sleeping and it's a matter of lifting her from the car into her bed." Dean said.

"Joys of being a dad." Punk smiled to him.

"Yeah, you'll see the joys once day." Dean yawned as Punk just laughed a little.

"One day." He repeated, "I'll get you in the morning then." Punk said. They took days about driving.

"Yeah, see you then." Punk nodded, getting out of the car, shutting it over and heading up the steps to the house, walking on in and yawning loudly as his form of greetings.

"Oh, hi!" AJ called from the kitchen as Punk just chuckled, walking down the hallway.

"Hey." Punk smiled tiredly. She was sitting at the kitchen table in some shorts and t-shirt, her hair up and glasses on with her work spread out in front of her. Coming home to her made his life ten times better, so much better than it ever was before.

"How was it then?" AJ smiled, putting her pen down and watching as he headed for the fridge.

"Well I got threw into a case that should really be for department of justice." Punk said, "Drugs, human trafficking, illegal pornography, it's all going down." Punk nodded.

"And little old you is supposed to fix these world problems?" AJ asked.

"Me, Dean and tech guy." Punk said.

"He has a name, Phil." AJ shook her head, "So wait… this is all happening in Chicago?" She asked him.

"Yeah. The increase in drugs has plummeted. Cocaine. From the south apparently. And these videos online they've been reported. Doesn't… look like these girls are over the age, and even if they are, they're not doing it out of choice."

"So what there's like a checkpoint you're trying to find?" AJ asked.

"Would make sense but with this stuff you normally see it being hidden by local businesses. It's what helps these people get away with what they're doing." He said as AJ nodded, "Seth is gonna try and use his… gifted technical skills whilst me and Dean scout out the drug situation. It's why I was home late." He said as AJ nodded, "Did you go see Cami?"

"I did. Yeah." AJ nodded and smiled. She did feel bad not telling him, but she didn't feel in the wrong, because it simply was not her place to say. Cami had trusted her with information and she wasn't going to go against her in that.

"How is she?" Punk asked casually, peeling a banana.

"She's good." AJ smiled.

"And what about you? How was your day?" He asked, walking over to her and kissing her cheek as she smiled, taking her glasses off as he sat down across from her.

"Well this man, Jeff, I'm helping. He seems ok. Attempted murder so there's ways to go about it. He claims there was never intentions to murder so… we're working with that." AJ nodded, "And then he ruined it all and told me what he expects of me before I left."

"Is this man still with us?" Punk teased.

"He's lucky to be." AJ said, "It's just the one thing I hate. Just thinking that it's my problem. Hearing what people, clients expect of me." She shook her head, "So I put him in his place and he had nothing to say." She nodded.

"Good." Punk said, "When you next seeing him?"

"In a few days." AJ said, "I'm gonna get a format placed out, witnesses, speak to the cops who dealt with it, all that good stuff." She smiled, "Kinda wish we took two week's vacation instead of one. I've just been dreaming about you doing me in that villa all day." She admitted tiredly as Punk smiled.

"Sounds like a nice dream." Punk smiled, "We can go again." He assured her as AJ smiled, "For the time being, I'm just gonna have to do you here." He nodded as she smiled.

"I think I can work with that." She said, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his, "Let me finish up here and I'll join you upstairs." AJ told him with a smile as he nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna go for a quick shower anyway." He said.

"I won't be long." She nodded, watching him as he headed out of the kitchen with a smile. She felt her life was a lot fuller with him in it now. She felt settled and content. Happy to let someone in, even though the process of it wasn't easy. But she couldn't help think about Cami at the given moment.


	44. Decision

**Decision**

* * *

"Hey, has… AJ been around?" Cami asked, standing at the reception desk of the station a week later as Joan stood up.

"She's with a client right now…she shouldn't be too long." Joan nodded, "Your brother is in the back, though-"

"Oh, no… no, don't get him." Cami made clear as Joan nodded slowly, "I'll wait." She smiled as Joan just nodded. A week had gone by and after back and forth thinking to herself about so much, so many decisions and choices, she'd finally came to a decision and wanted to let AJ know, as she was still the only person who knew about it all.

She waited over by the seats, watching people pass in and out of the station, some people arrested, some cops in and out, until finally she saw AJ walk out of a side door. She immediately stood up.

"Oh, hey." AJ nodded over, "Just give me a second." She told her as Cami nodded, watching as AJ handed over some forms to Joan and then walked over to her.

"Can we… go outside and talk?" Cami asked her.

"Yeah, sure." AJ nodded, following her out of the station and along the sidewalk a little before Cami paused.

"So I've… thought about everything." Cami said as AJ nodded, "I uh… I'm looking into adoption." She said as AJ nodded slowly, "Just because I can't give it what it needs doesn't mean someone else can't." Cami shrugged, "And I… I don't have to see it or hold it or… anything like that, and I can meet the parents." She nodded.

"Ok, slow down." AJ nodded, "You're absolutely sure you wanna do this?"

"I'm sure." Cami nodded, "I can't… look after a kid. I'm not very good at looking after myself, I'm sure you've noticed." She said, "But... this is what I want to do."

"You've really thought about it?" AJ asked, "I mean… having it means it's gonna be on your mind, you'll have a… a kid out there." She said as Cami nodded.

"I know that but… it's more important to me that I know someone is out there looking after it properly, someone who wants a kid but can't have one." She said, "And if I don't have to see it or hold it, it means I won't… I won't know it." She shrugged as AJ nodded.

"Hey, this is all your decision. I will support you… through it all. If you think that this is what's best for you and for your… for the baby." AJ nodded, "Then… then go with it." AJ said as Cami nodded, "It's a brave decision."

"Yeah." Cami sighed, "I know… Phil will have to know now. Maybe you could get him over to my place tomorrow night for dinner. I will somehow tell him then." She said as AJ nodded.

"He'll support you." AJ nodded, "What about the dad? You say he won't care but… I mean is it someone who is gonna… see you pregnant one day and flip because you never told him?"

"It was just a one time thing. He's not involved and he won't wanna be."

"Are you giving him that choice, though?" AJ asked.

"I know he won't. AJ, I barely know him and he barely knows me. It's not gonna be in his interest. And he's… with someone else." She said as AJ raised her brows and looked down at the ground, "He didn't tell me that until after." She made clear.

"Right." AJ nodded, "You do what's good for you." She said as Cami nodded.

"I think this is the best decision." She said as AJ nodded and rubbed Cami's arm softly. She couldn't imagine how tough a situation Cami was in and she just wanted her to feel supported.

* * *

"She never invites me over for pizza unless she wants something." Punk said the next day climbing the apartment steps with AJ who just nodded and smiled.

"Maybe she's just trying to be nice." She laughed lightly, knocking on the door.

"Or… maybe she wants something." Punk said as AJ just ignored him and waited for an answer to the door.

"Hey." Cami smiled, opening up the door and letting them in, "You look windswept." She laughed a little as Punk slicked his hair back a little.

"It's called stress my dear sister." Punk smiled, walking on into the apartment with AJ who just smiled and nodded to Cami.

"What are you stressing about then?" Cami asked him, "New case?" She asked, walking into the kitchen as Punk and AJ followed. AJ made her way over to the table herself whilst Punk stood with Cami.

"Yeah, there's a lot going on." Punk nodded, "But I know it's not every day my little sister wants me over for pizza so… I split early." He said, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her head as Cami smiled, her stomach doing summersaults inside knowing what she had to tell him. Although he was her brother first and foremost, he'd definitely lived his life as a father figure to her too, ever since she was born. He took care of her when their mom didn't, which was often.

"I got the usual pizza." Cami smiled, "Shouldn't be too long." She told them as Punk nodded and walked over to the table to join AJ, "So what's the case about?" She asked, grabbing them some drinks and walking over to the table to sit down with them.

"Drugs and human trafficking." Punk told her as Cami raised her eyebrows, "Yeah I know." Punk nodded.

"Isn't that a little more… advanced for you average cops?" Cami shook her head.

"Well I thought so." Punk said, "Seth has been on a rampage trying to track these people down. Me and Dean are trying to deal with the drug situation but it's probably gonna be passed over to the DOJ. It's too big." He nodded.

"Yeah that seems like more to deal with for just two cops." Cami said as Punk nodded, "You'll still get to help I'm sure?"

"Yeah if we don't get any other cases thrown at us." Punk said, "Which normally happens."

"Seems like a pretty serious thing to deal with though. It's the kinda stuff you hear about but don't really think it's actually happening." She said as Punk nodded.

"Well trust me, it's happening alright." Punk said, "Some of these girls are underage, clearly. Something has to be done quickly. It's not right." He shook his head.

"Well at least you're onto it. It's not like it's going oblivious." Cami said as Punk nodded, "The joys of being a cop I guess." She smiled.

"Yeah, the joys." Punk sighed, "I'm starving where is this pizza?" He asked like a child as AJ just shook her head and smiled.

* * *

The pizza eventually came and whilst they just chatted normally, Cami was trying her best to coax herself to bring what she had to say up. There didn't feel like an appropriate time, so she decided she just had to come out and say it.

"Phil, I actually have something to tell you." Cami said as Punk reached for another slice of pizza and nodded.

"If it's about your ex boyfriend, maybe I don't wanna know." Punk made clear. He automatically assumed that's what it'd be about. Meanwhile AJ kept quiet finishing off her latest slice of pizza. Cami had barely ate much.

"It's not." Cami said, "I'm pregnant." She told him as Punk dropped his pizza out of his hand onto the plate and looked up at her.

"You're what?" Punk tilted his head.

"I'm pregnant." Cami nodded as Punk looked at her with confusion, "I'm going on eleven weeks." She said.

"W-With… with Justin?" Punk asked.

"It's not his." Cami shook her head, "I'm not… I'm giving it up for adoption." She said as Punk wiped his hands on his legs before rubbing his forehead, trying to process the information, "I… I'm not ready for a kid but someone out there might be." She nodded, "And so… this is what I've decided I'm doing."

"You've thought about it?" Punk asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah I have since I found out." Cami nodded, "I can barely take care of myself. Yes, I'm doing fine now, and I've got a job, a place to live, but… a baby could just… send me back to that place. I don't wanna be a terrible mom to someone. Not like our mom." She said, "And there's so many people who want to adopt, when the doctor told me the number of people on the list just to be picked I… I couldn't believe it." She shook her head, "I've made my decision and this is what I want to do." She nodded.

"What if you feel different when you have it?" Punk asked her, still in shock.

"I'm not gonna hold it or see it." Cami said as Punk looked at her, "I'll have it and it'll go to whoever is adopting it." She nodded, "It's easier for me." She said as Punk nodded slowly and turned to AJ who sat quietly. She wanted to let it be between Punk and Cami for the most part.

"What about the dad?" Punk shook his head, "Does he know this is what you're doing?"

"He doesn't but… he's not gonna be interested." Cami said, "Besides the fact that it was just a one night thing and he wouldn't be interested, he's also with someone else so…" She shrugged as Punk ran his hand over his face.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Punk asked her, "I mean if you want this baby and it's finance you're worried about, I can… I can help." He nodded, "I can give you a help with things, I don't mind-"

"It's not that." Cami said, "I know you'd help." She smiled, "It's about me and my life. I finally got it together. I have stability and having a baby might not be the best thing." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "It's… well it's your decision completely." Punk assured her, "And we'll be there." He turned to AJ who nodded, "But… whether you think he won't be interested or not, you really should tell the dad." He nodded, "Yes, it's your decision and you're making it for the right reasons, I understand, but… he does have a right to know what you're doing."

"You just wanna know who it is." Cami said, taking a drink of water.

"No, Camila. I really don't." Punk told her honestly as Cami looked across at him, "We'll be here for you, of course we will. If that's why you called me around and got dinner… you didn't need to get my approval or anything like that-"

"I wasn't asking for it." Cami made clear, "But you're the only family I have so… you have a right to know and… I'm gonna get big so… there was no hiding it for much longer." She shrugged as Punk nodded.

"I just want you to be sure about it." Punk said.

"I am." Cami nodded, "It's what I want."

* * *

"I feel like I'm gonna throw that pizza back up." Punk groaned, later that night, getting into bed where AJ was already in sitting against the headboard, "I don't know, I just couldn't imagine… living my life knowing I have a kid out there."

"She's not gonna see it like that, though." AJ said, "She's gonna see it as… like she's a surrogate." She nodded, "It's a brave thing to do, I don't know if I'd be able to do it."

"She really should let the dad know." Punk said, getting into bed and sitting against the headboard beside AJ who nodded.

"Yeah, I agree. Sounds like he's… married with kids or something though." AJ said.

"Yeah." Punk shook his head, running his hand over his face, "She is brave to make the decision." Punk nodded, "And I know she's probably just terrified of… being the mom ours was." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, a lot of us don't wanna turn out like our moms." AJ agreed, "Do you think she'll tell your mom?"

"Probably. Her opinion wouldn't matter to me." Punk shook his head as AJ looked up at him.

"You really have no time for her." AJ nodded. She knew he didn't have anything good to say about his mother or his father, and he really only had Cami to call his family.

"She's not a mom." Punk shook his head, "I was the one who practically raised Cami whilst she was out… doing God knows what." He said, "I fed her, helped her with homework, bought her clothes if she needed it when I got a job." He said, "Mom didn't care about those things." He said as AJ frowned.

"You're a good brother." AJ nodded, kissing his arm.

"Yeah and I feel like I've failed her." Punk admitted.

"No… no you haven't." AJ shook her head, "What happened with her… it can happen to anyone, Phil. You couldn't stop her from hanging out with friends who ended up leading her down the wrong path… she was old enough at that point anyway. You've done nothing wrong." She said, "I know this isn't… it's not a nice thing, but she's made this decision to benefit not only her but this baby." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, well she has my support." Punk nodded, "I just hope she tells the dad. I mean, that's something I'd like to be informed about if I was in that position."

"You're a nice person, though." AJ said, "Sounds like this guy wasn't… after much from her." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." Punk said, "Oh, man. I'm tired." He sighed as AJ nodded, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

"Me too." She sighed tiredly, curling into him as he wrapped an arm around her, "Are you up early in the morning?"

"6." Punk nodded.

"Disgusting." AJ sighed.

"I know." Punk said, "I'm kinda nervous about dealing with this case and having like… really scary people in suits come talk to us."

"You're so cooperate." AJ smiled, "You're good at your job so… why not?" AJ shrugged.

"I know but it just… it seems so out of our reach." He said.

"You can still help. You guys never gave up on Sofia's case and I bet most people thought that could never be solved." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Don't stress over it. You're good at what you do."

"Thanks." Punk smiled down at her, "What are you up to tomorrow?"

"Meeting with some witnesses. Fun boring stuff." She said as he just nodded.

"It sounds it." Punk agreed.

"Long day, huh?" She looked up at him as he nodded tiredly. She smiled and leaned up, kissing him on the lips softly this time, shuffling further up and straddling herself over him as he smiled against the kiss.


	45. Doesn't Matter

**Doesn't Matter**

* * *

"She wants to give it up for adoption?" Dean asked, sitting in their office with Punk in the next day.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, telling Dean about Cami and what was going on, "Yeah, she-she doesn't want a kid right now, and more power to her for making that decision. She's putting her and the baby's needs first." Punk said as Dean nodded, "And the dad just… doesn't seem like he'll be interested?"

"Wait… it's not her ex?" Dean asked.

"No. Some married guy with kids it sounds like." Punk shook his head as Dean cringed.

"She certainly knows how to pick them." Dean said, "Has she actually thought about it or has she just decided right away?"

"No, she's definitely thought about it." Punk nodded, "She's sure of it. She doesn't wanna be a mom. She's scared it'll make her go backwards, you know? All the pressure." He said, "I'll support her, whatever she decides to do." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah if it's what she thinks is best." Dean said, "I just… I couldn't imagine it. What if she goes through the adoption thing and then when she has it she doesn't wanna go through with it?" He asked.

"Well apparently she doesn't have to see or hold the baby. It just goes straight to whoever is adopting it." Punk said.

"You don't suppose she's just worried financially?"

"Well I said that to her." Punk said, "I told her if that's what she's worried about, I can help her, it's no problem. I mean it's… my niece or nephew." He sighed a little, "But it's not. She just really doesn't wanna be a mom." He said.

"Well she's definitely brave to go through with this." Dean nodded, "I suppose there are tons of people who wanna adopt." He said as Punk nodded, "Does the dad know?"

"No. I don't think she's gonna tell him. I get the impression that he… he would be all for her doing this anyway." Punk shook his head.

"Well, it's… it's not ideal I guess but, she's doing everything for the right reasons, can't be mad at that."

"Oh, I'm not mad. Of course I'm not. It's her decision. And I'll support her." Punk said as Dean nodded, "Any further update on this shit?" He asked.

"Uh nothing much." Dean said, "Seth has been trying to locate these group of guys. Anonymous tip says they were seen with a lot of younger girls. On the south side of course."

"What about the DOJ?" Punk asked.

"Yeah they've got a scope on things." Dean nodded, "Probably will take over from us once we pick the bones a little." He said, "We're assuming this is where the drug distribution is coming from too." He said.

"Makes sense." Punk said, "So what… I assume there's agents and feds coming to talk to us about it all and what we know." He said.

"Yeah, probably." Dean said.

"I found the address, I found the address." Seth burst through the office door with his laptop as Punk and Dean turned around, "I found it." He said, sitting the laptop down, "Isn't far from here. Some homeware warehouse." He said.

"How'd you find it?" Punk asked him.

"I done some meddling." Seth nodded, "I'm betting this is where the drugs get imported to and where the girls are being… hooked up with people." He shook his head, "Bastards."

"So we checking it out?" Punk stood up.

"Just the three of us?" Dean raised a brow, "There could be a ton of them."

"I don't mean go in with our guns raised. I mean go creep outside for a night and see the activity around it. Take a normal car, park a little bit away and keep our heads down."

"Undercover creeping?" Dean nodded.

"Exactly." Punk said.

"And why do I need to come? I-I'm just the brains of this team." Seth said.

"Oh, so now we're a team?" Punk turned to him as Seth just shrugged, "You're coming." He nodded as Seth just groaned.

"We should go home and change into normal clothes, meet back up here later on." Dean said as Punk nodded, "You bring the snacks." He pointed to Seth.

"Why me?" Seth said.

"Why not?" Dean shrugged as Seth shook his head.

"Shouldn't we just tell the DOJ and have them go in with an attack team?" Punk asked, "We shouldn't waste anymore time with this."

"What if tapping fingers got it wrong?" Dean nodded over to Seth, "Might not even be anything going on. We should go check it out and see what's going on around before we rule it out."

"Yeah, I suppose." Punk nodded, "Ok." He said.

"Lia is gonna kill me when she finds out that I'm doing a late shift." Dean grumbled to himself as Punk just smiled and shook his head.

* * *

"How long will you be?" AJ asked, sitting on the couch watching TV with some work in front of her. Her job became pretty strenuous when she was dealing with a client. The only difference now, was that she had that calm in her life to ease her stress, to remind her that she came before her job. That calm being her boyfriend of course. But of course she still very much job proud and she believed her and Punk shared that common trait.

She didn't like when he worked late. Not for any other reason than she missed him and hated going to bed on her own. It was bizarre to think she was so comfortable with living a lonely life, and now she wasn't sure how she could be alone. And of course she thought back to everything that happened with her when she was taken by Sofia's killers.

"I shouldn't be too long." Punk told her, having come home to change into some normal clothes.

"Why are you in normal clothes?" AJ asked him.

"Undercover creeping." Punk told her, "Seth thinks he's found a location where these scums are getting their drugs dealt into and are… using these girls." Punk said, "So we're gonna check it out before making any moves."

"I thought you said this was too big for you?" AJ shook her head.

"No, that's your line." Punk smirked to her as she rolled her eyes.

"You're ridiculous." She laughed to herself as Punk smiled and sat down beside her.

"It has been passed over to the DOJ, they'll probably take over once we do the hard part." He shook his head, "I doubt we'll be the ones who actually deal with it. It is too big." He nodded.

"I thought Lia warned Dean not to work anymore late shifts." AJ smiled a little.

"Yeah, she did." Punk laughed to himself, "I guess it's a one off." Punk nodded, "Maybe you should try and get an early night. You've been up late the past few nights and looking at this stuff." He nodded to all the paper work sitting on the coffee table.

"You know I don't sleep unless you're there." AJ said.

"I shouldn't be long." Punk nodded, "You might still be awake by the time I'm back."

"It's just you and Dean going?" AJ asked him.

"And Seth." Punk nodded.

"I thought you guys didn't like him?" AJ laughed a little.

"Nah, he's alright." Punk said, "He's just fun to mess with." He nodded, "You still working on this attempted murder case?" He asked her.

"Yeah." AJ sighed, "I mean, there are ways around it, and I'm making waves but… I don't know, I've just felt really tired lately." She admitted, leaning her head back on the back of the couch as Punk frowned.

"Seriously, try get more sleep." Punk nodded, "If you've got this under control why don't you go up and read a book or something." He said, "You don't need to smother yourself with all of this."

"I know I just want to be on top of things that's all." AJ said, "Maybe I'll crash soon." She nodded, "But I'll worry about you until you get back." She admitted truthfully.

"Don't worry about me." Punk shook his head, "I'm literally not even doing anything tonight, I'm just spying." He said, "I'll be fine." He smiled, cupping her cheek as she just nodded. He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss on her lips as she kissed back.

"Don't cause any trouble." She said as he pulled back from the kiss and stood up.

"I'll try not to." He said, "I'll see you when I get home." He told her as she nodded, watching him leave the living room and head out of the house.

* * *

Later on, AJ had decided to clear her work away and relax as best she could on the sofa. She was watching some late night talk show with a packet of chips in between her legs when there was a knock at the door.

She got up and walked out of the living room, opening up the door where she saw Cami standing, out of breath and constantly looking behind her. As soon as she opened the door, Cami quickly burst in.

"Close it. Close it." Cami told AJ who shook her head and closed the door over.

"What the hell is going on?" AJ shook her head, "Are you ok?" She asked as Cami sat down on the bottom of the stairs, running her hand through her hair as she tried to get her breath back.

"I… Justin was at my house, I was telling him about the baby, because I thought he-he deserved to know." Cami nodded, "He just flipped." She said, "I had to get out and I… I didn't know where else to come. He was chasing me. I managed to lose him a little but… he knows where you guys live." She said with worry.

"Why would you tell him? It's none of his business." AJ said.

"In case someone sees me pregnant and tells him. I thought… I thought I'd be decent enough to let him know face to face." She said, "He just went crazy. I thought he was gonna hit me or something." She shook her head as AJ sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Are you ok? Did he hit you?" AJ asked.

"No. I got out." Cami nodded, "Is Phil not in?" She wondered.

"No, he's working late tonight." AJ said, "Ok, let's get you a cup of tea or something." She nodded, giving her hand to Cami who used it to stand back up from the stairs, about to walk on down to the kitchen when there was sudden bangs at the front door.

"I know you're in there, Cami!" Justin yelled as Cami turned to AJ with worry.

"It's fine." AJ nodded, "Just go into the kitchen. I'll handle it."

"AJ, you don't know what he's like." Cami shook her head.

"I'll be fine." AJ said, "Go." She told her as Cami sighed, walking on down the hall and into the kitchen as AJ turned around and headed over to the front door.

She slowly opened it up, looking on at the man standing, out of breath, angry and trying to put his foot into the door.

"You're not coming in here." AJ made clear.

"Yeah, or what? I just… I just want to talk to her." Justin said, trying to calm himself down.

"She is none of your business anymore, ok?" AJ nodded, "I'm not letting you in if you're just gonna… scare her and shout at her."

"I don't. I just… I want to talk." Justin nodded.

"Leave." AJ said sternly.

"Well… well you let her know that if I see her new cop boyfriend, I'll be sure to let him know who I am and the kind of things she'd done." Justin spat in AJ's face as AJ remained calm and stared through him, watching him step down and walk off, putting his hood up and disappearing out into the street.

AJ shut the door over and turned around, walking down the hall and into the kitchen where Cami was standing worriedly.

"Is he gone?" Cami asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah he's away." AJ said, looking across at her, "You told him who the dad was?"

"Briefly." Cami shrugged, folding her arms, "Can I… put the kettle on?" She asked, trying to carry on as normal as AJ stared at her.

"He's a cop." AJ said as Cami reached for a mug and switched the kettle on, "That's what Justin just said."

"And what about it?" Cami shrugged casually.

"And do we know him?" AJ screwed her face up, "Why aren't you saying anything about who it is?" She asked as Cami just shook her head.

"It's just some cop, AJ. I doubt you'll even know him. He's got a life, ok? It was a mistake. If I want to tell you who it is, then I would, but I don't." She made clear as AJ folded her arms.

"That just makes me more suspicious." AJ said.

"Well don't be. It doesn't matter." Cami said, "Justin is… still on drugs, he's high, I should never have said anything, I just thought it was a decent thing to do, rather than him finding out from someone else. I spent a lot of time with him."

"yeah, I get that." AJ nodded, "He told me to tell you if he sees your cop boyfriend then he'll tell him all about the bad things you've done." AJ shrugged as Cami just laughed and nodded.

"Well he's not my boyfriend and… I've not done anything so." Cami shrugged as AJ nodded.

"Mhm." AJ said, "Make me one while you're at it." She nodded to the kettle as Cami nodded and took a deep sigh as AJ watched her, as if profiling her, not sure what it was she was trying to hide.


	46. Out Of It

**Out Of It**

* * *

"Why the hell are you here?" Punk shook his head, getting into the house later on where he saw Cami sitting in the kitchen with AJ.

"We had a bit of incident." Cami nodded as Punk shook his head, "I, being the good person that I believe I am, thought I would tell Justin about the baby. So I called him around." She said, "He was high of course and when I told him he flipped." She said, noticing Punk's face changing, "It's fine." She put her hand up, "Don't go psycho on me." She said, "I came here. AJ told him where to go. So it's fine."

"Uh… I don't think it is fine. What? He chased you here?" Punk shook his head.

"No." Cami scoffed, "Well, not all the way here." She admitted as Punk shook his head, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"I need to speak to this motherfucker." Punk spat.

"No, you don't. You don't need to get involved." Cami told him.

"If he keeps fucking harassing you then yeah, I do." Punk said, "Why tell him anyway? It's nothing to do with him."

"Because I spent a lot of time with him, Phil. He's still my ex. I didn't want him to get told from someone else." Cami said.

"He's a junkie that doesn't care about you. You don't owe him anything. You should have just… let him find out from someone else." Punk shook his head, "Was is he in this house?" He asked, turning to AJ.

"No." AJ shook her head, staying relatively quiet, "Uh… I told him to get lost and he did."

"Did he hurt either of you?" Punk asked, having to be sure.

"No, we're fine." AJ smiled softly and nodded.

"He'll not come back. He was high. He'll get over it." Cami nodded.

"You think?" Punk said, "How many times have you told me that over the years since you got with him? He's a manipulating little weasel."

"Yeah, I know that at this point." Cami shook her head, "It's not like I'm trying to get back with him."

"Yeah well nothing you do surprises me anymore." Punk said.

"Phil." Cami said, "I've not done anything wrong here. I thought it was a decent thing to do. To tell him about the baby. I didn't think it'd result in what happened, happening." She said, "But it did and it's over with. He's done a lot worse than chase me down a street." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's the fucking problem." Punk shook his head.

"Calm down." AJ nodded to him, "It'll be ok." She said, "He calmed down and he left." She nodded to him as Punk just shook his head angrily, "How did it go tonight? Did you guys get anywhere?" She asked him whilst Cami stood up, taking her mug over to wash it.

"Yeah we saw some dealing going on, saw a couple of girls who… well they weren't over the age of eighteen, let's just say that." Punk shook his head, "So we've got the DOJ involved, gonna take it from there." He said as AJ nodded, reaching for his hand and squeezing it.

"Take it easy on her." AJ whispered so Cami couldn't hear as Punk turned around and looked at his little sister, nodding to himself.

"You wanna stay here for the night, you can." Punk told Cami who turned around.

"I'm ok. I can go home." Cami nodded, "Thanks, AJ, for… letting me in and talking to me." She smiled.

"That's ok. Anytime." AJ smiled.

"I'll go. It's already late enough." She said, "You don't have to worry about me." She tapped her brother's shoulder, "I'm fine."

"Try telling water not to be wet." Punk said as Cami just made a face and smiled softly.

"See you around." She said, walking by them and leaving the house as Punk turned to AJ and put his hands in the air.

"What the hell?" Punk shook his head, "Why is she so good at acting like everything is ok." He said, collapsing down across from AJ.

"I guess she's been used to it." AJ nodded, "Sometimes you go through shit and… things just don't phase you anymore. It's kinda like her." She said.

"Why tell her ex? What's he got to do with it? Do you think he's the dad?" Punk asked.

"No, I think she was just trying to do the right thing." AJ shrugged, "It backfired." She nodded, deciding not to mention the revelation that the father was a cop and someone they both most likely knew from the station. She knew Punk really would flip.

"Don't yell at me for thinking this but… as her brother, I worry, you know that." Punk nodded as AJ looked across at him, "What if… what if someone hurt her?" He said, clasping his hands in front of his mouth as AJ looked at him, "I mean she's always been good at hiding things. It might explain why she's so… against keeping the baby. What if someone… what if she was raped?" Punk asked.

"You said it yourself. You're her brother. So don't treat it like an investigation." AJ nodded, "I know you worry. I get it. You're… you're like a father to her and you want her to be safe." She said, "But… I don't think that's something she'd be able to hide so well for a long time." AJ said, "And there's no reason for us to believe that something else happened. She doesn't want the father involved and from what it sounds like, he doesn't wanna be involved anyway." AJ said, "So we take that as it is and we support her." AJ said as Punk sighed to himself and nodded.

"She gives me high blood pressure." He shook his head as AJ smiled.

"I think little sisters are good at that. I can speak on behalf of them." AJ nodded as Punk just smiled, "She'll be fine." She said, "So is this whole case going to justice or are you guys still involved?"

"I think we're still involved in certain aspects of it." Punk nodded.

"Tired?" AJ looked across at him as he nodded.

"Exhausted." He said as AJ nodded.

"Go on up to bed. I'll lock up." She said as he smiled and nodded, getting up from the chair, kissing her head and walking on out of the kitchen to head for bed. Cami had always been a figure of worry in his life. He put it down to being the only one who legitimately cared for her and looked out for her. He hated to think of the worst possible scenarios, but he just wondered why she found it so difficult to tell them who the father was. He understood that if it was someone they didn't know, why would it matter, but he just worried about her safety.

* * *

"Hey, fellas." Ian nodded the next morning, walking into Punk and Dean's office where they were sitting looking over some work.

"Hey." Punk nodded.

"Just to let you know you guys can drop this case with the human and drug trafficking." Ian said, "Justice are on it now. You guys done the hard part so thank you." He nodded.

"Well it was mostly Seth." Punk said.

"Yeah I thanked him too. You guys make a good team. Maybe Seth could move into this office-"

"Maybe you should shut up." Dean warned, "We're not babysitting that nerd." He made clear.

"I'm pretty sure he's the same age as you guys." Ian raised a brow.

"Seriously?" Punk said, "I thought he had to be at least… twenty." Punk shook his head.

"It's the glasses." Dean nodded to Punk.

"Yeah you guys make a good team." Ian said, "I think for future cases he should be your wing man."

"We don't need a wing man." Dean said.

"Ah, he's alright." Punk agreed, "He is a smart dude. All the hacking shit freaks me out, though." Punk said.

"Yeah, well at least he does it for good unlike some freakers out there." Ian said, "How's the kid, Dean?"

"She's good. Almost two." Dean smiled.

"And Lia?" Ian asked.

"Also good." Dean nodded with a smile.

"And… how is the woman who makes my life ten times harder?" He turned to Punk who just nodded.

"She's great." Punk nodded, "The trial for those two silent scumbags are coming up soon. I can tell she's kinda nervous about it."

"Oh, tell her not to sweat it." Ian said, "Those guys are going down, without a doubt."

"He's just nervous because her parents might be coming over." Dean scoffed as Ian laughed a little.

"She said they probably won't." Punk assured himself, "Plus… I'm not nervous." He made clear as Dean just nodded and smiled, "I'm not."

"I remember meeting my wife's parents for the first time. Didn't go very well." Ian said as Punk cringed.

"Yeah when I met Lia's parents my strategy was to get a little drunk before, to loosen my nerves, this was when I had undiagnosed problems of course." Dean nodded, "I got a little drunk and uh… threw up in the soup." Dean smiled as Punk shook his head.

"You really are a disgrace." Punk nodded.

"I know, it wasn't my fault." Dean shrugged, "Hey, she's still with me and her parents love me so… it didn't turn out all bad." He said as Punk nodded.

"I feel like her parents are like… these hard living emotionless people that won't approve of anyone so… who the fuck cares?" Punk shrugged.

"Everyone thinks that." Ian said, "Just be yourself. As annoying as you are, they might like you." Ian said.

"Funny." Punk made a face, "Get out of our office now you're annoying me." He said as Ian just smiled and left the office, "Prick." Punk muttered to himself as Dean chuckled.

"You really think AJ is nervous for the trial?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah, I think so." Punk nodded, "We spoke about it on vacation. She said she wasn't overly nervous, mostly because she knows how a court is set up, it's not an intimidating place for her but… well, it'll be different. She'll be the one on the stand." Punk said as Dean nodded, "She's just been quiet recently. Said she's been really tired. She goes through spells with her disorder but… she just said she's not been feeling good."

"She's probably anxious." Dean said, "I'd say it's pretty normal, especially after what happened to her, and her friend." He nodded.

"Yeah, not to mention fucking Cami trying to burst my arteries opened." He said.

"What?" Dean shook his head.

"She thought it'd be a good idea to tell her psycho junkie ex-boyfriend that she was having a baby, someone else's baby. He flipped out on her and she had to come running to our place last night. AJ had to tell him to get lost." Punk said.

"Can't we arrest this fool? We've gave him a pass too often."

"I want to." Punk nodded, "But Cami doesn't want me involved. It's like she's used to all of this." He said, "The unpredictability. The drama." He said.

"Well I'm not surprised. She's not had an easy ride for the most part. It probably feels weird for her to be stable at times." Dean said, "All you can do is support her. She's doing what's best for her and this kid so… that's the most important thing."

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, I know. And I'm proud of her for that. I just wish things didn't have to be so difficult for her." He said.

"I know you do." Dean said, "But they'll get better. It always does." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "Up and on to the next case, brother." Punk stood up and stretched as they got ready to go out on the beat.


	47. Who

**Who**

* * *

"Hey, is everything ok?" AJ asked, meeting Lia for coffee on her break from work. She'd received a text from Lia asking her if she wanted to meet on their lunch break, and she didn't have a reason not to.

"Yeah, fine." Lia smiled as AJ sat down across from her in the small coffee shop, "Got you a coffee." She said as AJ smiled.

"Thank you." AJ nodded, "What a day already." AJ sighed with exhaustion.

"It's 12pm." Lia laughed.

"Exactly." AJ nodded, "I'm trying to get prepared for court with my client. And that's difficult to do when witnesses don't show up to meetings." She shook her head.

"You counting on them?" Lia asked, sipping on her coffee.

"Well yeah, they play a huge part." AJ sighed, "I mean, I know my client is telling the truth. He definitely didn't want to murder anyone. It wasn't pre-meditated but I gotta make sure that they don't charge him for assault or reckless behaviour. Drunken bar fights they normally don't but… you never know." She shrugged.

"You must have a lot of confidence to base your job around standing in court all day. I don't know how you do it." Lia said.

"And I don't know how you counsel drug and alcohol addicts." AJ said as Lia just smiled, "I mean that's gotta be pretty hard."

"Oh, yeah." Lia nodded, "But… it's rewarding. When I see you know… someone who I've been working with get better, get themselves a job, stability, I feel… like I've done something good. I'm sure it's the same for you when you get people off."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I'd say yours is probably more rewarding. Sometimes I actually do defend guilty people." She nodded.

"I'm sure it's to an extent." Lia said as AJ nodded.

"Of course." AJ said, "I was always taught to… look at everyone the same, even those who made a mistake. My dad always treated the homeless junkie outside our motel we lived in the same we he would treat… the president." AJ said, "That carried over into my life. Everyone's got a story." She said as Lia smiled.

"You want them to come over for the trial?" Lia asked her.

"Yes and no. Of course I miss them but… whenever they come around there's always some dispute. And they've not met Phil yet so… that will be weird. I've never had a boyfriend. And not that they don't like cops or anything like that but… well we never really helped by anyone in that sort of authority, so I guess they have this pre conceived idea of the police." She said.

"Do you know if they're definitely coming or not?" Lia asked.

"No, I don't." AJ shook her head, "They'll probably tell me for sure like 2 days before." She shook her head, "I've spoken to my brother and he said they've not made their mind up yet." She shrugged, "My mom hates flying so, it'll be a big ask." She rolled her eyes.

"I just want it over with." Lia shook her head. She was of course testifying to about the night of the fire, "It's just heavy on everyone's mind." She said.

"Yeah, hopefully it doesn't drag out." AJ said as Lia nodded, "Where is Eva today?" She asked.

"She's with Dean's mom." Lia said, "I don't like giving her to my mom all the time so she gets shipped around I guess." She laughed a little.

"I'm sure she doesn't mind." AJ smiled.

"No, she doesn't." Lia shook her head, looking down at the table as AJ watched her.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ asked her as Lia looked up out of her daze, "You seem… a little off." She admitted. There was just something about her. Something tense and different.

"Yeah well…" Lia sighed, running her hand over her face, "Maybe I'm just tired, going back to work, Dean at work, trying to continue being a mom, a good one anyway." She laughed lightly, "So maybe I'm just looking for things but… I… I think Dean… I think he might be cheating on me." She said as AJ looked over at her and shook her head.

"What? Why would you think that?" AJ shook her head.

"He's just… he's been so off lately. He's constantly on his phone and when I ask who it is or what he's doing he just dismisses it. He never leaves his phone lying around anymore either. I know, it's crazy to just assume something like that but… you know when you just have a feeling?" She sighed.

"Lia, you've been with Dean for a long time. You've got a kid together. I-I don't think-"

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't cheat on me." Lia said, "I know him. Of course I do. I know he loves me and Eva. But something just feels off with him."

"When would he be cheating on you?" AJ shook her head, "He works and then goes home I'm sure?"

"Sometimes he's later home. And he showers now at night time. He never did that before." Lia said as AJ looked across at her.

"Don't… don't assume anything just yet. Talk to him." AJ said, "Maybe it's just the stress of work. I mean unless you got proof of text messages or you see him with someone, I don't think it's something you can ever know for sure." She said.

"I know." Lia sighed, "And I know he's not that type of person. We've… he's been through a lot, and it's not his nature but… I don't know, I just have a weird feeling." She said.

"Best thing to do right now is… talk to him, tell him how you're feeling, don't accuse of him anything yet." She said as Lia nodded, "See where it goes from there."

"Yeah." Lia sighed, "I can't ignore it." She shook her head as AJ nodded.

"No, I don't think anyone could if they had those types of feelings." She said, "All you can do is talk to him about it." She nodded.

* * *

"Phil?" AJ called out as she got home later that night, walking in through the door with all her things hitting off of each other, her bags and folders, closing the door over with her foot and dumping it all the bottom of the stairs, "Phillip?" She called again.

"What?" Punk called from the kitchen.

"I'm home." She called with a smile, taking her coat off, dumping it by the stairs with everything else as she made her way down the hall and into the kitchen where Punk was sat at the table, "Hey." She smiled, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

"Hey, how are you?" Punk asked her, sitting looking through a report.

"I'm good." AJ said, "You're home early."

"No. You're just home late." Punk chuckled a little, "You get held up?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I had trouble meeting with some of my witnesses this morning. Cancelled me without actually telling me so I had to hang around until later. Just going over things for court soon." She said as Punk nodded, "What about you? How was your day?" She asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Yeah, fine. That case is now definitely passed over to justice so… we're just there to fill in blanks if they need us." Punk said, "We were just out on patrol, doing some reports, the boring stuff." He said.

"You say you don't mind being on the beat." AJ said.

"I don't, I mind all the damn reports I gotta do." He rolled his eyes as AJ just smiled.

"Part of the gig isn't it?" She said.

"I guess it is." Punk smiled.

"So, Lia dropped me text, asked me to meet her on my lunch break." She said as Punk nodded, "She thinks Dean is cheating on her." AJ folded her arms as Punk raised a brow.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"She said he's being really secretive on the phone, showers every time he comes home, doesn't leave his phone lying around." AJ said, "Says he's just been off lately."

"So that means he's cheating?" Punk raised a brow.

"Look, she's got a feeling, normally that means something." AJ nodded, "I told her just to talk to him about it. Not accuse him of anything but just talk about it, tell him how she feels." AJ said, "I know Dean isn't that type of person, it's clear he's very happy in his relationship but… well a lot of people are happy in relationships and go on to cheat." AJ shrugged.

"Dean wouldn't cheat." Punk shook his head, "I know him. I know how much he cares about Lia. He'd never do something like that."

"I'm not saying I think he would but… obviously Lia has reason to believe." AJ shrugged, "I love being there for people and giving people advice but… I feel like everyone around us right now has some sort of problem they're dealing with. It's weird because it's usually me." She shook her head.

"Yeah, things feel unsettled." Punk nodded, "I've known Dean my entire life, though. I'd be… I'd be really shocked if he was cheating. Lia means everything to him."

"Yeah, I know that. She's gonna talk to him about it and hopefully they can resolve whatever it is." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah. They will." Punk nodded confidently, "When would he even be cheating? He's at work with me and then he goes home." Punk said.

"That's what I said." AJ said, "But Lia said he comes home later." She shrugged, "They need to sort it amongst themselves." AJ nodded, walking over to him, sitting down on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, "Day off tomorrow?" She asked him hopefully.

"Yeah, finally." Punk nodded as she smiled, cupping his cheek and giving him a soft kiss, "I think we should just stay in bed all day." He said, pulling back from the kiss as she smirked and nodded.

"I think you should take me to bed right now." She nodded as he smiled, standing up from chair, taking her with him and carrying her out of the kitchen and upstairs.

* * *

"Why are you still here?" Ian asked, walking out of his office as he spotted Seth sitting over by his desk.

"I got work to do." Seth told him, "Can you please stop putting me with those two douchebags? They annoy me." He made clear.

"No they don't." Ian smiled, "You secretly like them and they secretly like you. Not to mention, you guys work well together." Ian said, "I think you should move into their office with them."

"I think you should focus on running this station instead of making me babysit those two goons." He said.

"I think it's more like them babysitting you." Ian said.

"Uh… I'm the same age as them." Seth said, "Whatever, just… go away and let me finish my work."

"Fine." Ian laughed, "A few years down the line, you're all gonna be best friends and you'll have me to thank." He smiled as Seth just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Ian left the station, clocking out and heading out into the parking lot, throwing his bags in the trunk of the car when he suddenly heard someone whistle at him. He turned around and shut the trunk, angry that someone had the audacity to whistle on him like he was a dog.

"Excuse me?" Ian turned around, looking on at the man standing with his hood up and his hands in his pockets looking across at him, "Can I help you?" He shook his head as Justin, the man in the hood, walking closer towards him.

"Yeah, you can." Justin spat.

"Well I know you're not as stupid as to do something ridiculous right outside the station, so… what is it? Directions?" Ian asked.

"No." Justin shook his head, "No, I want you to tell your little computer friend in there to stay away from my girl." He hissed as Ian raised a brow.

"Seth?" Ian shook his head as Justin nodded.

"Yeah." Justin said, "If I see him anywhere near her, then it'll be her who faces the consequences."

"I have… no idea what you are talking about right now." Ian said, "Seth, I'm pretty sure he's got a girlfriend." He nodded

"Yeah well then he's a cheating scumbag who knocked up my girl. So if I see him near her, bad things are gonna happen, and I want you to tell him that." Justin spat.

"So you're making a threat?" Ian asked.

"No… No…" Justin put his hands up and smiled, "No, just sending a message." He nodded.

"Well here's a message for you." Ian said, stepping closer to him, "Get the hell away from my station." He spat, looking down at him as Justin looked up and slowly backed away, leaving the car park as Ian shook his head with confusion.


	48. Coming Out

**Coming Out**

* * *

"You're too much." AJ smiled, watching the next morning as Punk walked into their bedroom with breakfast for her, shuffling herself up the bed and sitting against the headboard, holding the sheets to her naked body.

"I could have went all out and brought you flowers from the garden." Punk said, sitting down the breakfast on the bedside table along with a cup of coffee.

"I don't think we have flowers in the garden. That's something happy people do." She said as he chuckled and nodded, making his way back around the bed and into his side with his own breakfast, "You would have gotten extra points if you did it naked." She said, "Or do you only do that when you're on vacation?"

"That's only for the vacation." He nodded as she smiled, taking the coffee and taking a sip, "Here I was thinking I'd sleep until noon or something." He shook his head as AJ laughed lightly.

"Yeah, not if it's up to your body clock." She said, "It's nice not to rush out the door though." She nodded.

"Yeah." He smiled. Days off were sacred to them, they rarely got one off together and when they did they made sure they shut off their world of work and had a day for themselves.

"Ok, I don't want to be a negative Nancy. I love waffles and bacon, you know that." She said as Punk turned to her, sitting crossed legged beside her eating his breakfast, "But I'm… not that hungry." She admitted truthfully.

"That's not like you. You love breakfast." Punk pointed out.

"I know, I just… I've not been feeling hungry at all lately." AJ admitted, "Maybe it's this case getting to me."

"Which one?" Punk asked, "The one you're working with or the one you're testifying in?" He asked her as she looked at him.

"Maybe both." She nodded, "Not to mention everyone around us feels like they're falling apart a little." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, that'll get better with time." Punk nodded, "Well hey just eat what you want. I get it. Anxiety and consuming a shit ton of food isn't a match made in heaven." He shook his head, "I'm just a pig." He shrugged, continuing to eat his waffle as AJ smiled and rubbed his back softly.

"Coffee is good though. You make coffee so much better than anyone else." AJ smiled.

"Well, I have mastered it at this point." Punk nodded as she smiled, "So what shall we be doing with our day?" He said.

"Hopefully nothing." AJ laughed a little.

"Sounds good to me." Punk nodded, listening to his phone vibrate from the bedside table as he reached for it and picked it up, noticing Ian has text.

"Who is it?" AJ asked him.

"Ian." Punk shook his head, "Said when I have a minute I've to call him." He shook his head, sitting his phone back over, "He can fuck off and leave me alone on my day off." He said.

"What if it's important?" AJ said with worry.

"Nah, if it was important he'd come to the house. He'll just be wanting me to do him a favour or something." He shook his head as AJ just nodded, "Thought I'd wake up to a text from Dean after what you told me last night." He said.

"I don't know if Lia was gonna wait a day or two before saying anything to him, just to make sure she wasn't blowing anything out of proportion." AJ said, "I know he's you friend, well, he's more like a brother to you." She nodded, "But you know what it's like when you get a strange feeling about something." She said, "I couldn't tell her to ignore that."

"No, I know." Punk nodded, "But I just… I'd be really shocked if he was cheating. That's not the type of person he is. He loves his family. He's happy." Punk said.

"I know. I hope they sort it out. Could be a huge misunderstanding." She said as Punk nodded.

"She really helped him with a lot." Punk said, "He was in a bad way drinking and doing drugs. She was the one that got through to him. He'd never hurt her." He shook his head, "I'm sure of it."

"Time will tell." AJ said, leaning against him whilst they enjoyed their breakfast together.

* * *

"Can I talk to you… before I go to work?" Lia asked, walking into the living room where Dean was sat watching some morning programme with Eva, who was approaching the age of two soon, walking, babbling and talking, full of energy and light for sure.

"Uh… yeah." Dean stood up, "I figured I'd maybe take her to the park or something, make use of the rare day off." He said, following her into the kitchen as Lia barely listened to what he was saying, trying to rehearse what she was going to say to him.

"I need to talk to you." Lia said, turning around and looking at him as he folded his arms.

"Last time you said that to me, you followed it with, I'm pregnant." He said, "So…"

"No, that's not it." Lia said, "I get paranoia. I know it's a thing. And maybe I'm just looking at things the wrong way but… I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't feeling the way I was." She said as Dean shook his head with confusion, "I just want you to be honest with me. That's it. It's me. No bullshit. No lying." She said.

"Lia, what the hell?" Dean shook his head.

"Are you… seeing someone else?" Lia asked him as Dean tilted his head and screwed his face up, "Because if you are, I'm not… I'm not gonna go all psycho and take Eva and leave and never show my face around here again… I just want the truth first-"

"Lianne, what the fuck?" Dean looked at her like she was headless, "What? You think I'm cheating on you?" He asked her, "Why would you think that?"

"Just… you've not been yourself lately. You never leave your phone alone. You're always on it and never telling me why, you shower every night when you come home which… yeah, I get it, that doesn't mean your cheating but you never did it before. You're home later than usual. I checked with AJ, she tells me when Punk gets home and you don't get home until a few hours after him." She said, "So what the hell is going on?"

"Well I can't say I'm not hurt that you'd think I would actually cheat on you… cheat on you're at home with my kid." Dean said, "You think I would do that?"

"I don't know, Dean. I don't know what I'm thinking at the minute." She said, "I just know you aren't yourself. There's something not right. I know you well enough."

"Nothing is going on." Dean said, "I can't believe you'd think I'd cheat on you."

"Then where'd you go at night? Why are you showering at 11pm when you come home? Why are you constantly on your phone and hiding it from me?" She asked, "I'm not crazy. I know you and I know something is not right here." She said as Dean sighed, running his hand over his face.

"I've been drinking." Dean nodded as Lia's mouth closed and her hands dropped to her sides, "I go after work. I keep my phone close incase Drew texts me asking if I want to join him, you remember him? My drinking buddy?" He said, "And I shower because I stink of beer when I come home and I didn't want you to know about it." He said, "I'm not fucking cheating on you."

"No… no you're just… you're just drinking again." Lia nodded, "And the drugs?"

"I'm not… no, I'm not on anything." Dean said.

"Why?" Lia shook her head, "What? What was the need?"

"I've been doing it since Sofia's case, since the fire." Dean said, "One or two every night-"

"The doctor told you if you drink anymore you could die." Lia spat, "Are you that stupid?" She shoved him, "What are you thinking?"

"I wasn't. Now I can't help it." Dean said.

"You're drinking again?" Lia asked him, not believing it. She knew he had serious problems. She was first introduced to him when he was at the peak of his problems, and she knew how hard he worked to get better and get his life together, so to hear this, it felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "And I'm sorry." He gulped as Lia shook her head.

"I have to go to work." Lia shook her head, grabbing her bag.

"Lia." Dean said, watching as she rushed by him and out of the house, sighing to himself as he ran his hand over his face.

* * *

"Hey, buddy. You got a minute?" Ian asked as he approached Seth.

"If it's about working with Phil and Dean, no." Seth said.

"It's not actually. Can I talk to you in my office?" Ian asked as Seth looked up and nodded, getting up from his desk and following Ian into the large office which he operated in.

"What's up?" Seth asked, "Am I getting a raise?" He smirked, sitting down on the chair as Ian laughed a little, sitting down beside his desk.

"You got a girlfriend, don't you?" Ian asked him.

"Uh yeah, why?" Seth shook his head.

"How long you been with her?" Ian asked.

"Years." Seth said, "What-What is this about?" He asked.

"Well I got stopped last night in the car park by some… hooded junkie. He wanted me to pass a message onto you to stay away from his girlfriend." Ian said, "Know anything about it?" He asked, playing the fool.

"Uh… no." Seth laughed a little, "It's pretty brief. Did you know his name?"

"No, but I know who he is, and I know the girl he is talking about." Ian said, "Maybe it's not my place to say, clearly you don't know, Camila Brooks is pregnant." He said as Seth tilted his head.

"What's that got to do with me?" Seth laughed nervously.

"Well you slept with her, and judging by her boyfriend or her ex-boyfriend, whoever that was, you're the father." Ian said as Seth gulped a little, rubbing his palms together and shaking his head.

"It was… it was a while ago. It… surely it's not-" Seth paused, running his hand over his face.

"How did you end up even near her?" Ian shook his head.

"She was looking for Phil one night, I uh… I walked her to her car, we were talking, it was just one of those things, you know-"

"Did she know you were with someone else?" Ian asked.

"Yeah." Seth said, "It was just once it wasn't… it wasn't like an affair or-"

"It doesn't take an affair to get someone pregnant. Did you skip sex ed or something?" Ian shook his head, "You gotta fix this, you gotta do something, and you sure as hell gotta talk to Phil before this gets out. Do I need to have cops on standby with you both?"

"Why wouldn't she tell me?" Seth said.

"Maybe the whole part where you're already in a relationship." Ian said.

"She should still tell me she's having my kid." Seth said, "And now her crazy ex wants to kill me, and her brother will definitely kill me?"

"See what happens when you think with your dick and not your head?" Ian smiled smugly, "You need to sort this out, and sort it out professionally. I'll have none of this getting brought inside this station." He said as Seth sat in shock, not really knowing what to think or do or say for that matter, "I think the first person you should go see, is Camila." He suggested as Seth placed his hands over his mouth and doubled over himself.


	49. Choices

**Choices**

* * *

"Why are you here?" Cami shook her head, watching as Seth walked into her apartment once she opened the door to him.

"You're pregnant?" Seth shook his head, "You're pregnant and… and you didn't think to tell me?" He put his hands up with confusion.

"Who-Who told you?" Cami gulped, shutting the door over behind her and walking over to him.

"Your junkie boyfriend is now sending me threats to stay away from you." Seth said, "And he's bringing it to my work, where your god damn brother works." Seth said, "How… why would you not tell me?" He asked.

"Because you're in a relationship, Seth. I didn't want to be the homewrecker." Cami said, "So I thought you didn't need to know. Ok?"

"That's my kid." Seth shook his head, "And you clearly didn't have a problem being the homewrecker when there was no baby involved regardless." He said as Cami folded her arms, "I have a right to know this. Didn't you think that?"

"I'm not keeping it." Cami said bluntly, "I'm meeting with an adoption agency next week. I'm gonna pick parents. I'm not… I'm not ready to be a mom. I'm twenty years old." She said, "I don't want to be a mom." She said as Seth shook his head and placed his hand on his forehead.

"So you have absolutely no regard for me. You're doing what you want and you're not… you weren't even gonna tell me that you're pregnant with my baby?" Seth asked.

"I was looking out for you, for your career and your relationship. If Phil finds out he will go straight through you and when your girlfriend finds out, I don't want trouble. It was better you didn't know."

"But that's my kid, Cami." Seth said, "I don't give a fuck what your brother thinks of me, and you know I'm not happy in my relationship. I'm pretty sure that's what we bonded over." He said.

"I'm still not ready to be a mom, and I don't want to be one. I am an ex junkie. When normal people feel pressure, they feel pressure, when I feel pressure, I wanna get high and drink. So a baby in my care, putting me under pressure is not good for me. I'm looking out for myself and I'm looking out for this baby." Cami said.

"So then sit me down, tell me, and talk me over it then. Don't just do it secretly until one day I find out I have a kid out there that I never knew about." Seth said, "I'd support you, if that's what you're worrying about. I can give you money-"

"It's not about the damn money!" Cami yelled, "I have money. I have a job and a place. It's not about that. I just can't be a mom, ok?" She said as Seth looked across at her.

"Ok." Seth nodded, "I… who am I to force you to do anything?" Seth said, "But if you don't want this baby that doesn't mean that I don't. It doesn't mean that I want strangers taking it."

"They won't be strangers, they'll be its parents." Cami said.

"Would you let me take full custody? Instead of putting it up for adoption?" Seth asked.

"Is this what you want?" Cami shook her head, "You wanna raise a kid yourself? Or do you want it to go to parents who are desperate for a kid?"

"I'd like the opportunity to think about it, Camila." Seth said as Cami nodded.

"Yeah and you have every right. I should have told you. I know that. But I was trying to look out for your best interest." Cami said, "I didn't want to ruin your relationship."

"My relationship is going south." Seth told her truthfully, "The night we spent… that made me realise that I wasn't happy, because I was happier with you, someone I barely knew, over my girlfriend I've known for years." He said, "And I'm sorry that it had to be just one night."

"You don't have to say that just because you think it's what I want to hear. It's not. Even if I was with a boyfriend, a long-term one, and I was pregnant, this is still how I would feel. I'm not ready, I don't think I ever will be." She said as Seth looked across at her, "You're right. I can't take anything away from you. I'll postpone my appointment at the adoption agency. You have a right just as much as me to think about what you want and if you decide that you want the baby then we can figure it out, if not, then I feel comforted that someone, some parents out there who desperately want a child, will get to have ours, and they'll be happy." She nodded as Seth sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "I'm sorry things are like this."

"I just wish you'd told me." Seth nodded quietly, "Your brother needs to know. I work with him, a lot more now, I can't look him in the eye knowing he doesn't know." He said as Cami nodded.

"Yeah, I understand. I can tell him." Cami nodded, "The adoption agency likes to… start a process early. I'm almost four months. So… whatever you decide, you need to be sure."

"What if I said we could both give it a go?" Seth said, "I know nothing about kids and I… I didn't think it was on my agenda, but it's life isn't it? Comes with surprises. What if we both did it together? Not for us but for the kid-"

"I can't." Cami shook her head, "And I'm not gonna keep defending why. I already feel shitty about the fact I don't want my own baby, so please don't make me feel any worse." She shook her head as Seth looked across at her and nodded. He knew she had problems, battles every day, and he understood why this was something she was not able to go through with, but he wasn't sure if he could live with knowing his child was out there, but then… he wasn't sure if he could take it on alone.

"I guess I… I'll let you know where my head is at in a few days." Seth said as Cami nodded.

"Yeah, thank you." Cami said, "I really was just trying to look out for you. I thought if you didn't know then you wouldn't be affected by it."

"It's still my kid. Whether I'm in a relationship or not." Seth said.

"I'm sorry." Cami said, realising now that she'd perhaps held back for all the wrong reasons, and that he really did need to know about the decisions she was making for their child.

"I'll… I'll see you in a few days." Seth shook his head and left the apartment as Cami took a seat and sighed to herself. Now she knew her brother had to know.

* * *

"How many grams does it say?" AJ asked, later that night as she walked over to where Punk was standing trying to measure out flour. They'd turned into the lame adult thing of date night where they would spend their day and night off either going out or spending some fun time in the house together. Sometimes AJ didn't want to go out, and so things like baking cookies or a cake came in handy, especially because they could eat them afterwards, and she was also really in the mood for cookies.

"Uh… I don't know, it doesn't say." Punk said, standing at the counter trying to read the instructions.

"It'll say somewhere." AJ shook her head, taking the book from him.

"Can't we just guess?" Punk shrugged.

"And have floury cookies?" AJ made a face, "No." She said, "Two and a quarter cups." She frowned, "So what the fuck is that in grams then?" She shook her head.

"Let's google a converter." Punk said just as there was a knock at their door.

"I'll get it." AJ said, "Make sure you find the correct estimate, last time it didn't work and it was your fault." She said as he gasped.

"Excuse you." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled and left the kitchen, walking down the hall and to the front door, opening it up as she saw Lia standing, looking like she'd come straight from work. She immediately so a not so great look on her face and wondered if those feeling she had really were right.

"Lia." AJ shook her head.

"Is Phil in?" Lia asked.

"Yeah, he's in." AJ nodded, letting her in, "Is everything ok?" She asked, closing the door behind her.

"No, not really." Lia shook her head. She was surprised she'd managed to actually make it through a working day with what was on her mind, "Can I talk to Phil?"

"Yeah, sure. He's in the kitchen." AJ nodded as Lia walked on down with AJ behind her.

"April, I don't trust this converter at all-" Punk paused as he saw Lia walk in first, putting his phone down and looking over wearily, "Hey, Lia. What's up?"

"Hey." Lia pushed a smile, "So I uh… I confronted Dean… did AJ tell you about-"

"I did." AJ nodded.

"Right." Lia said.

"Wait, he's not… he didn't-" Punk shook his head.

"No, he's not cheating." Lia nodded. She wished she could have felt relief out of it but she was so worried about what was really going on that she couldn't, "He's drinking again. He has been for the past year." She said as Punk screwed his face up and turned to AJ who looked just as shocked, "The… the secret texting is with his old buddy, Drew. He showers when he comes home because he goes to the pub after his shift for a few hours and he says he didn't want me to notice or smell it from him." Lia said, "I mean it all makes sense."

"I would notice." Punk shook his head, not believing it.

"Yeah, I would too." Lia said, "But he's being serious. He wouldn't lie to me about that." She said, "But he knows that if he keeps drinking he could die. He had acute alcohol poisoning." She said, more so telling AJ who might not have known the severity of Dean's problems.

"But if he's coming home drunk then-"

"He's not." Lia shook her head, "He said he's having one or two and then that's it. But that's how it started before. It was one or two and then it turned into three and then he was there all night and all day." She said, "I saw him when he was near death. I don't wanna see him get to that place again."

"What about drugs?" Punk said.

"He said he's not taken anything." Lia nodded, "And I believe him."

"Why would he… why would he start drinking again? Especially when he knows what it does to him?" Punk said.

"He said it started when you guys were working on Sofia's case." Lia said, "I-I didn't get into it with him. I was in shock and I just left to go to work." She shook her head as Punk ran his hand through his hair.

"He'll lose his job this time. For real." Punk shook his head, "God damn it." He sighed.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know." Lia shook her head worriedly.

"Maybe he should take time off work." AJ suggested, "Even just a week to try and get himself off of going for a drink. I mean if you're saying he's not getting out of his face then-then we're still in a good place that we can help him before it gets worse." AJ nodded, trying to think of the positive.

"I don't want him to lose everything." Lia shook her head worriedly as Punk sighed.

"I'm going to talk to him." Punk said.

"Wait, Phil, shouldn't it be between-" AJ couldn't say much more before Punk had left the kitchen and the house altogether.


	50. Too Much

**Too Much**

* * *

Punk burst into Dean and Lia's house, walking through the hallway and into the living room where Dean was sitting with Eva who seemed to be watching Elmo on the TV, in her pyjamas, ready for bed. It was enough to help Punk calm down and relax as Dean shook his head.

"Quite the entrance." Dean shook his head with confusion as Punk looked down at him, "We're watching Elmo." He pointed to the TV as Punk turned around and nodded, looking on at Eva who was trying to see the TV but it appeared he was blocking it.

"S-Sorry." He apologised to the one year old, shaking his head as he realised he'd just apologised to a one year old, "Dean we need to talk." Punk said bluntly as Dean looked up at him and narrowed his brows.

"Ok, talk." Dean laughed a little, sitting up as Punk folded his arms.

Luckily enough, Lia and AJ came in behind him just in time, which made Dean realise what was going on here, stiffening a little as he stood up.

"You barely gave us a chance to talk." Dean shook his head towards Lia.

"C'mon, baby. Let's get you to bed." Lia said, ignoring Dean and lifting up Eva from the couch. Eva waved to AJ and Punk on her way out as AJ smiled and waved back at her. They'd babysat her a few times and due to being close to Dean and Lia, they'd become a part of Eva's life too as a aunt and uncle figure.

"What'd she tell you?" Dean asked.

"Enough." Punk said, "You're drinking again, you have been for the past year." He said, "You realise you could die, right?" He shook his head, "The doctor told me, it could be one drink, it could be five hundred, that's the line thine you're on." He reminded him, "If you were feeling tempted or stressed, why didn't you talk to someone?"

"Because I was trying to keep it together, alright?" Dean said as Punk looked across at him.

"You could lose everything. Your job. Your family. Your life." Punk said, "Why would you wanna do that?"

"You don't fucking get it. You're not an addict. You think it's so easy, Oh Dean's fine now he's got off the alcohol and the drugs, he'll never go back." Dean mimicked, "Ever since I got clean, all I think about every day is that drink." He said, "You don't get it."

"Hey I know it's hard. I'm not taking that away from you. But you worked so hard at getting better. You got your job back and you've got a beautiful family here. Why would you want to risk that?"

"Because it's hard to keep saying no. Feeling that stress and driving by the pub. It's a struggle, every single day, and one day I just… I decided I didn't want it to be a struggle anymore." He said, "I'll… I can get clean, I can get off of it." Dean nodded.

"This is how it started before." Punk reminded him, "It was the one and two drinks after shifts, then it became more than that, then you stopped coming to work and spent your full day in the pub… then the drugs came-"

"Yeah, I was there. I remember it all." Dean nodded, "It's not… it's not like that. I have it under control." He nodded to them.

"That could all change quickly." Punk said, "Think about your girlfriend, your daughter… they don't wanna see you like this, see you struggling. I don't." He shook his head, "I don't want to see you lose your job again." He said, "C'mon, man."

"I'm not gonna lose anything." Dean said, running his hand over his face, already feeling the desire to drink again. He knew he was in a situation that was very dangerous. He knew his problems before were to the most severe level they could be, and he knew the worst possible thing he could have done was take that first drink, because now it felt impossible to stop, just like before, only this time he had so much more to lose.

"You will if you continue going down this way." Punk said, "C'mon, I've known you since I was a kid. You're a tough fucker. You can catch this before it gets out of hand." He nodded, "It doesn't have to get worse."

"How is any of this even your business?" Dean shook his head, "Or yours?" He turned to AJ.

"Your girlfriend is worried about you." Punk said.

"So what? She runs to you for help? What are you gonna do?" Dean shrugged.

"Hopefully talk some sense into you." Punk said, "You should take a week off. Cold turkey quit and get your head back in the right setting." He nodded, "Ian finds out about this and you could lose your damn job." He said as Dean ran his hand through his messy hair.

"I can just… I can have one or two, it's ok." Dean nodded, even though deep down he knew that the one or two drinks he was having could very easily start turning into three or four, and then more and more, but having that taste, having that feeling again, it brought it all back, the feeling of addiction, the feeling of not being able to stop.

"Dean you can't. It's not gonna work like that for you." Punk said, "Think about Eva, and Lia. What do you want for them? You don't wanna miss out on raising your daughter, you don't wanna lose them, because you will if you end up in the state you were in before."

"I'm not… I won't lose them." He shook his head.

"You will if this is the road you wanna go down again." Punk said, "I know I don't understand how you're feeling. I get it's hard, harder than I'll ever know, but I know you're strong enough to get over this little blip. You can get over it." He nodded.

"You can leave my house." Dean pointed as Punk looked across at him, "It's none of your God damn business anymore." He said.

"You're just a really good actor, Dean." Punk shrugged, "And I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner." He said, feeling like he'd failed his best friend in some way.

"I'm not acting anymore." Dean shook his head, "Get out." He said angrily as Punk just nodded, placing his arm around AJ as they walked out of the living room and out of the house.

Dean paced up and down for a few minutes in the living room, not knowing what to do with himself before grabbing his car keys and walking out just as Lia was coming down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Lia asked bluntly.

"Out." Dean told her.

"What? For a drink?" Lia shook her head. She wasn't around him when he was drinking the last time, she only met him after when he was getting better, but even then, he was terrifying to look at. Rail thin, an almost yellow colour with no sense of self-worth. She couldn't see him go down that road again.

"I'm just going out." Dean told her.

"Why can't you stay and talk?" Lia asked him, pulling him back by the arm.

"You done all your talking with Phil." Dean said, shaking her hand off of his arm.

"He can normally get through to you and I didn't know who else to go to." Lia sighed worriedly, "Please don't go out." She shook her head, watching as he opened up the door and walked out, slamming the door shut behind him as she placed her hand on her forehead.

* * *

Punk pulled up outside their house after getting home from Dean's, sitting in the front seat for a minute as AJ looked at him.

"If he takes some time off, he might be able to… to get himself out of the habit. I know it's easy for us to say, we're not addicts but… if he's surrounded by a good support system and he takes time for himself then-"

"I should have noticed." Punk shook his head with confusion, "I should have… I should have saw the signs."

"What signs?" AJ said, "Like you said, he's been good at hiding it, most people are." She nodded as Punk sighed.

"I don't want him to lose everything." Punk shook his head, "If Ian finds out… I don't know what he'll do."

"We don't have to think about that. Think about the positive. He's still sober enough to know what's going on. He can get help. Treat it early." AJ said, "And maybe the fact he does have more in his life this time, it'll help him." AJ nodded, "It's not your fault at all." AJ shook her head, playing with the hair around his ear as Punk sighed to himself, "All we can do is be there for him, give him advice and support."

"Yeah." Punk nodded and sighed.

"C'mon." AJ said, leaning over and kissing his cheek, "Let's get inside." She said, getting out of the car as Punk did too, closing the door over and locking it just as he looked to his left and saw his sister and Seth walking down the pavement, he turned to AJ with confusion and back to them both, not understanding why they were both approaching him together.

"Hi." Punk shook his head in a confused tone.

"Hey." Cami nodded, taking a deep breath whilst Seth stood silently, putting his hands in his pockets beside, "Where were you both?" She asked casually.

"Dean's." Punk groaned, "He's drinking again."

"Oh my God." Cami frowned.

"Really?" Seth shook his head.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Uh… why are you both-" He pointed to them both.

"Can we come in?" Cami asked him whilst AJ immediately gulped as she realised what was going on. She was the only one who knew the father of Cami's baby was a cop, and she could already see the scenario for the new few minutes.

"Is something wrong?" Punk asked, wondering why the hell these two most unlikely people were coming to him.

"No, just… go." Cami pushed him forward, following them into the house whilst AJ excused herself into the kitchen, pretending to switch the kettle on and make everyone coffee whilst she was really taking deep breaths and feeling a little nauseous, she wondered if all of this stress around them was starting to actually get to her.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" Punk asked them, walking into the living room.

"I don't want you to be mad." Cami shook her head as Punk looked at her, folding his arms.

"Normally when you say that, it's followed up by me being mad." Punk shrugged, "So just go on ahead, what is it?" He asked as Cami turned to Seth.

"It's my baby." Seth nodded as Punk turned to him, "We got together a few months back. I wasn't using her, it was a mutual thing, it wasn't anything serious-"

Punk just began to laugh and nodded, sitting down on the couch and continuing to chuckle as Cami looked at him, "Very funny." Punk smiled as Cami turned to Seth.

"Phil, he's serious." Cami said, "One night I came looking for you and-"

"And what? You fell onto his dick?" Punk made a face, "What the fuck are you both talking about? You don't know him and aren't you married?" He screwed his face up at Seth.

"I'm with someone yeah but… I'm not married."

"You're just messing with me, aren't you?" He turned to Cami.

"No, I'm not." Cami said, "He is the dad." She said, "And we're… we're still gonna go through with the adoption." She nodded as Punk looked at them both, his stare of shock suddenly turning to a stare of rage directly at Seth.

"Someone wants me to have a heart attack tonight." Punk shook his head, running his hand over his forehead, "Did you know all this time?" He looked at Seth angrily.

"No, I just found out." Seth said as Cami nodded.

"I just told him." Cami said, "Well Justin sort of told him." Shaking her head, "That doesn't matter. I… we've decided to go through with the adoption. We're both not ready for a kid-"

"Do you know what age she is?" He looked at Seth, screwing his eyes up.

"My age has nothing to do with this." Cami said as Punk just groaned and shook his head. He believed he would have been angrier if he hadn't come straight from Dean's, "I… we just wanted you to know, we're… we're gonna go through the process together." She turned to Seth who nodded.

After reflecting on things, Seth agreed that things weren't stable enough to welcome in a baby, and with Cami's point that there were so many parents out there who could give the baby what they couldn't, it really began to sway him in the decision, and he just wanted to do what he could to support Cami.

"Well it's… it's your decision. You know you have my support." Punk nodded, "It's what's best for everyone, the baby, you guys… as much as I want to kick you in the mouth for going near my sister and not telling me about it." He turned to Seth, "I trust that you'll both work this out properly."

"Yeah." Cami nodded, "You took that better than I thought." She admitted, turning to Seth who nodded.

"I'm pissed off, don't worry about that." Punk said, "You should have just told me, especially when you work with me every day." He spat at Seth.

"I didn't even know myself." Seth defended as Punk just grumbled, suddenly listening as AJ was heard throwing up in the kitchen.

He stood up quickly, rushing into the kitchen where she was doubled over the sink, "Hey, hey you ok?" Punk rushed to her side, placing his hand on her back as she nodded, keeping herself over the sink.

"I don't feel good." AJ shook her head as Punk sighed to himself, running his hand over his hair. He knew she suffered from terrible anxiety and wondered if everything going on had affected her this way.

"Ok, you're alright." He soothed, rubbing her back softly and holding her hair back.


	51. What If

**What If**

* * *

"I feel ok now. You didn't have to tell them to leave." AJ shook her head as Punk walked back into the living room with a bottle of water for her. As soon as AJ had begun being sick, he asked Seth and Cami if they could leave, telling them he would catch up with them soon. They understood and left.

"You could be coming down with something." Punk said, sitting down beside her, handing her the bottle of water, "I can talk to them tomorrow. I think we've had enough… drama for one day." He shook his head, "And I'd hate for that to be the reason you're not feeling good-"

"No, it's not." AJ shook her head, "I mean, I'm not enjoying it all, what's going on, but that's not making me feel sick." She said, "I don't know, maybe I am coming down with something. I just feel so off." She groaned to herself, leaning her head back on the couch as Punk tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's not been a great day off, has it?" He said.

"No, not really." AJ sighed, "I can't stop thinking about Dean and Lia. She must be so worried and he… he must feel so helpless." She shook her head.

"Yeah, I hope we've got him in time, you know? I just wished I noticed sooner." He shook his head, still beating himself up about it.

"You couldn't have known that. Like you said, he was good at hiding it." AJ said, "It's not your fault. All we can do now is be there for him." She said as he nodded, "And Cami and Seth-"

"I don't know where to even begin with that." Punk admitted truthfully, "I don't think it's actually registered with my brain. I mean I work with this guy and he doesn't have the decency to come tell me?"

"To be fair, I think he's just found out." AJ said, "It's not like they were in a secret relationship." She said as Punk nodded.

"I know that. It just feels like a bit of a mess." Punk said, "What if Cami just doesn't want the baby because she doesn't want to be alone?"

"Trust me when I tell you, Cami's reasons for giving this baby away is her own reasons. I think the more we question her on it the more she'll flip. They've clearly decided together that it's for the best and we still need to support that." She said as Punk nodded.

"I know. I will." Punk said, "It's just gonna take a while to get used to it, seeing his face in the office. Clearly he's got no loyalty anyway if he's cheated."

"Well we don't know the full story." AJ said.

"You sure you're feeling better?" Punk asked her, "If you're sick, let me take care of you." He said, taking his hand in hers as she smiled.

"I feel ok. It was just this weird wave of nausea." AJ shook her head.

"You sure you're not worrying about things? Maybe even the trial? Sofia's?"

"No." AJ shook her head, "No if anything I'm dying for it to happen so it can be over with." She said as Punk nodded, "I'm serious, it just came over me and now I'm ok. Maybe something is working on me. I'm working from home tomorrow anyway." She nodded, "Do you think Dean will take the time off?"

"I'm not sure." Punk shook his head, "I hope he does for his sake." He said, "Ian can't find out. He was so close to losing his job last time." He said as AJ nodded.

"Well I bet you guys have a really strict code to live by. No criminal offences, all that stuff." She said as Punk nodded, "Would he check himself into rehab?" AJ asked him.

"No, I don't think so. Not this early." Punk said, "If he can just resist the urge. I know it's easy to say that coming from me, I'm not addicted to it but… it's not like he's out of his face and beyond the point of help now. If he acts on it now he could reel it back in." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I think right now he just needs a bit of space, though. All these people around him, it's gonna put pressure on him and he's probably just… gonna drink more." AJ said, "If he takes the week off, maybe he'll be able to realise on his own."

"Yeah." Punk said, "He's like my brother, you know? I spent way more time with him and at his place when I was a kid than I did at my own house." He said, "His family became mine, and he took me in." He nodded as AJ held his hand in hers, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the top of his hand, "I don't wanna see him lose it again."

"We'll be there for him." AJ nodded, squeezing his hand tightly, "And he has a lot more to fight for this time. A girlfriend and a daughter to encourage him." She said, "So maybe that will help."

"Hopefully." Punk nodded, "I feel like I just brushed Cami away there. Like I didn't even react." He shook his head, "My head is all over the place." He said, running his hand through his hair as AJ looked up at him.

"Don't be hard on Seth. We've all had a one night stand. Yeah it's shitty it was with your sister but… it's her life, her decision." AJ nodded, "At least they're handling it well, they're doing what's best for everyone involved." She said as Punk nodded.

"I'm not mad at him, just shocked. I can't be mad if he didn't know. In fact I feel better that she's told the dad now because I was getting anxious about it. He had the right to know."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I guess we're all dealing with something right now." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "When are you taking your case to trial?"

"Next week. I just want it over with. Shouldn't be too difficult." She said, "I've got a good argument. It's pretty one sided." She nodded.

"That's good." Punk nodded, "I hope you're fit for it." He looked down at her.

"I feel fine now." AJ said, "It just came over me. Maybe it was a little bit of anxiety, I don't know." She shrugged as Punk nodded.

"Well you know you can talk to me if you feel anxious about anything." He said as she nodded and smiled.

"I know." She smiled, placing her hand on his chest, "I feel much better." She nodded with a smile, leaning up as they stared at one another closely before Punk made the move, pressing his lips against hers softly as she kissed back, placing her leg around him so she was straddling his hips and lacing her fingers through his slicked back hair, kissing him passionately as he held her by the small of her back. It was important they had each other to lean on with so much going on around them.

* * *

The week went by and whilst Dean had stayed away from work, Punk and AJ had kept themselves to themselves. Punk dropped Lia an occasional text to ask how Dean was doing and so far, that hadn't been much of a progress, but he didn't expect there to be after just a week. He realised AJ was right, having tons of people around him may have just added more pressure, so he figured he would back off for a bit.

He'd spoken to Seth and Cami a little more in depth and had apologised for not being able to talk as much. They understood a lot was going on, but they finally got to talk and he wasn't bitter or angry about the set up, he just wanted to support his sister and now Seth too.

AJ was in the middle of her case in court and whilst she insisted she felt fine, she couldn't ignore the fact the waves of sickness were still occurring. Punk wanted her to go to the doctors about it but she didn't think it was anything that serious. She was starting to think it was anxiety that was very good at disguising itself until the last minute.

"Heard anything from Dean?" AJ asked, walking into the kitchen after getting home from a long day in court, dumping her things down where Punk was sat at the island of the kitchen on a stool filling in some paper work. Things had been lowkey at the station where he was catching up on reports and lighter tasks, especially whilst Dean was off.

"No, I text Lia this morning to ask how he's doing but she's not got back to me." Punk shook his head, "Probably just be the same. She text last night and told me he was out all day." He said, "I think forcing him to stay in his house will just make things worse though. He's gotta realise on his own."

"Yeah." AJ nodded in agreement, taking a bottle of water from the fridge, "How was work?" She asked him, rubbing his back, creeping up behind him and kissing his cheek.

"It was ok. Feels strange without Dean there. And it's kinda awkward with me and Seth. He's trying to avoid me." Punk said, "I don't want him to feel weird around me. I appreciate that he's supporting Cami." He nodded.

"Well his relationship has pretty much crumbled apart." AJ said, "Most men probably would try and hide it, keep it a secret so they wouldn't piss off their significant other but… at least he's been honest and he's helping Cami." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "It's just gonna take a while to get used to it. I just hope they're sure about the decisions they're making."

"I know Cami is. She's so young, and I know she's scared about it. I think she thinks someone else can give the baby a lot more than her or Seth, and maybe Seth agrees." AJ nodded.

"Yeah. Hey, I support it. I just… well it's my niece or nephew." He shrugged, "I feel like it's the right decision but.. selfish part of me wants to meet it." He said as AJ smiled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, I know." AJ said, "But there's still plenty of time, and your Eva's uncle. And maybe Dominic will have kids at some point." She nodded.

"Yeah in Puerto Rico." Punk said as AJ just nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." AJ sighed.

"How was court?" He asked her, sliding away his things as she sat on the stool to the side of him.

"It was ok again. The judge looks bored to be honest. She wants it over with, so does the jury." AJ nodded.

"You got a day for closing arguments?" Punk asked her.

"Sometime next week." AJ nodded, "It's still back and forth at the moment." She said, "Judge had to wait on me this morning because I was being sick in the bathroom." She shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"April, please go to the doctors and get it checked. What if it's something serious, like you're allergic to something… you shouldn't ignore it." He said.

"But I'm fine, it's just this weird nausea that comes and goes." She shrugged, "Happens more in the morning." She nodded as Punk looked at her suddenly, "Why are you looking at me like that?" AJ laughed a little.

"What if-" He paused, not sure if he wanted to say the words aloud, not sure if his poor heart could handle the possibility.

"What if what?" AJ shook her head.

"What if you're pregnant?"


	52. Little Bit Later

**Little Bit Later**

* * *

 _5 months later…_

"How is she doing?" AJ asked, sitting in the hospital cafeteria as she saw Punk walk in and approach the table she was at. It was through the night so the cafeteria was really only serving purpose for a seat. She had however spent some money on the vending machine.

"Yeah, she's ok." Punk nodded, "She was a little upset but she's doing good." He said, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from her, "Seth's keeping her going. He's been good." Punk said.

"Did you meet the parents?" AJ asked him, playing around with the wrapper from her candy bar she'd eaten earlier on.

"I didn't meet them. I saw them with the baby though, and Cami gets to find out what they're gonna call him so, we'll have a name at least." Punk nodded.

"If you want to see him, you can." AJ reminded him, "He's your nephew at the end of the day."

"No, I think it'll be too hard. He's got a family, a good one by the looks of it, that's what Cami and Seth wanted and.. it's what I want." He said, "She just… must have a lot of strength. It's not something I think I could do."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I'm sorry I didn't stay around upstairs. I got kinda freaked out." She admitted truthfully as Punk smiled.

"I get it." Punk smiled, "The doctors didn't want too many people around anyway." He said, "But you can go see Cami now, she was asking for you." He nodded.

"I don't really know what to say. What's the right thing to say? I can't say congratulations or well done. It's… it doesn't really serve its purpose does it?" AJ sighed.

"Try not overthink it." Punk said, "Just, talk to her like you normally would." He nodded.

"Ok." AJ nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Have you been making friends with the vending machine, I see." Punk chuckled a little, noticing the few wrappers and the empty can of soda sitting.

"The baby wants sugar." AJ shrugged, "So I gave it sugar."

"You're never gonna be able to say no to it, are you?" He laughed a little as AJ looked down at her five month pregnant bump, shaking her head and rubbing it.

"Probably not." She shook her head as Punk smiled, "Ok, I should probably leave here before I buy more chocolate." She said, standing up from the table and tucking the chair in as Punk smiled at her.

When they found out she was pregnant, it was of course a very big shock and something they were still trying to adapt to, however, it almost seemed like it was the little shimmer of light they were given throughout all the stress they were under around them. They weren't quite sure what they were doing about the whole situation, but they weren't freaking out, they didn't see the point. They were taking it a day at a time, and supporting one another as best they could.

"I feel like this bump is just a constant reminder for Cami." AJ admitted, walking out of the cafeteria with Punk. She had a little petite bump, nothing too big but still visible that she was pregnant.

"No, it's not. She's happy for us." Punk said, "You know she is. Sure she's gonna need some time after this, it's certainly not been easy, I think it's been harder than she expected, but she'll get there, she'll be ok." Punk nodded. He had every confidence in his sister as she had portrayed a lot of strength during her own pregnancy and had given birth to a baby boy whom had gone straight to his adoptive parents.

"Have you heard from Dean?" AJ asked him as they took the elevator up to the correct floor.

"No." Punk shook his head, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to him anymore. He's been checked into rehab twice, and checked himself out both times. He needs to do it for him, no one else." He said, "Every time that I try talk to him he just throws it back at me. And Lia is at breaking point, she's been staying with her mom with Eva the entire time." He said as AJ sighed.

"What's Ian been saying?" AJ asked.

"Nothing. He doesn't wanna fire him but… how can he keep him on when he's either not showing up or he's showing up drunk?" Punk asked, "This… this is what happened last time. He started off just drinking lightly, then it got worse, we tried to help him, he didn't want to help himself, and then he finally opened his eyes once he was hospitalised."

"Surely he won't let it get to that." AJ sighed, "Lia is heartbroken by it all. Can't he just… stay in the rehab facility?"

"He can check himself out, it's his decision." Punk said, "I've talked and I've talked to him. He knows the only person that can help him is himself at this point. I think what's scaring him the most is… he knew how hard it was the last time, getting off of it." Punk said, walking along the corridor with her.

"There must be something we can do." AJ sighed.

"Just keep being there for him. Talking to him. Showing him all the things that he's gonna lose, because he will, he will lose it if he keeps going down this road. I can't force him to stop drinking, I learned that the first time." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"He's got such a good life too. Why… Why ruin it?" AJ sighed, "I know addiction is different, difficult, probably something I wouldn't understand but… he's got a beautiful girlfriend, a daughter, a great job… I just… I'd hate to see him lose it all." She shook her head.

"You and me both." Punk sighed.

Dean had been a continuous worry on their minds, especially Punks. He was continuing to drink and after two attempts at rehab, he'd almost given up on helping himself. He was beginning to slip off the edge way too much. Lia had moved out temporarily with Eva as they were constantly fighting and she didn't want Eva around him when he was drunk. Ian had let him off on sick pay but had talked with Punk about the fact he may possibly need to fire him if he continued the way he was. It was breaking Punk's heart to see someone he saw as a brother in this much sadness and pain.

The only real light in his life at the minute that he and AJ were both trying to focus on, in their own little private world, was their baby. It was a shock and not something they had planned to be doing so early, but it almost felt like their escape, something private for them both to share together intimately. Neither had a cool about what to do but they were sure they'd figure it out.

They eventually arrived at Cami's room, walking on in where she was sitting up in bed with Seth sitting beside her. Although his relationship crumbled as expected, Seth had been helping Cami as much as he could, and she appreciated the support, she really needed it towards the end.

"Hey." AJ smiled to Cami who smiled tiredly back at her, "How you feeling?" AJ asked her.

"I'm ok." Cami nodded, "Tired." She said as AJ nodded, "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine." AJ smiled, "Althought I think I've ate too much." She admitted truthfully as Seth and Cami smiled.

"Won't be long until you're here." Seth said as AJ nodded and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." AJ nodded nervously as Seth smiled, "Was it sore?" She cringed a little as Cami nodded, watching as Punk stood behind AJ and shook his head at her.

"Uh well…" Cami changed her mind once noticing Punk, "I mean it was over really quickly that's the main thing, right?" She shrugged as AJ just nodded casually. Although they were dealing with the news of the baby very well, AJ was still very worried. Punk knew that if she didn't have anything to worry about she'd find something to worry about.

"When you getting out?" AJ asked her, sitting down on the chair beside the bed.

"Tomorrow my doctor said." Cami nodded, "I just wanna be out." She said as AJ nodded, turning her head once she heard the door open where Cami's doctor walked in.

"Hey." The doctor smiled, "The couple adopting the baby wanted me to let you know his name." She nodded as Cami sat up a little, "They've named him Cody." She said as Cami raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"That's a nice name." Cami said as the doctor nodded.

"Let me know if you need anything." The doctor said politely, leaving the room as AJ just turned to Cami who rested her head back on the pillow.

"Nice name, huh?" Cami turned to Seth who nodded and smiled softly to her.

"Yeah, it's nice." Seth nodded. They'd met with the parents who were adopting their son. They were great people who were financially stable, smart and so desperate for a child. It was the perfect outcome in Cami's defence and she was so glad her son was going to have loving parents. She was never in doubt that she couldn't love her baby, but more so with everything else that comes with caring for one.

* * *

"I'm tired." AJ moaned a little, getting into bed once they got home, sitting against the headboard and crossing her legs in a basket as Punk stripped around the opposite side and got in beside her, "But I don't think I can sleep." She frowned.

"Why not?" Punk asked her, "I'm up in…" He turned around to the clock, "Four hours." He groaned to himself, curling his pillow over his head as AJ looked at him.

"So am I. You're not special." She reminded him as he just smiled, "Do you think my parents will come see me when I have the baby?" She asked him as Punk turned to her.

"Why wouldn't they?" Punk asked.

"Well they never showed up for Sofia's trial." AJ said, "It was just Dominic and Sofia's family." She said, "They surely don't expect me to be the one going over to them all the time, right?" She said.

"I'd imagine their first grandchild is a big deal to them. I'd be surprised if they didn't come see you." He said, "Does feel kinda weird considering I've not met them and we're having a baby." He said as she nodded.

"Yeah well they know where I am." AJ shook her head.

"Please don't get worked up about it." Punk sighed, "I bet the baby feels when you're stressed." He said.

"Well I apologise." AJ spoke to her stomach, placing her hand on the bump, "Oh." She jumped a little as Punk sat up with worry, "Is that it…" She felt around her bump, "Oh my God, it's kicking." She grabbed his hand immediately and placed it over her bump as he raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Jesus." Punk laughed a little, "That must feel weird." He shook his head as AJ smiled and looked down.

"It is weird." AJ agreed, "But it's nice." She shook her head as Punk smiled, kissing her cheek, continuing to feel around her stomach when he was turned away to answer his phone on the bedside table.

"It's Lia." Punk sighed as AJ frowned. He answered the phone and listened to Lia, "Yeah, I'll be there just keep him there just now." He nodded, "I'll be as quick as I can." He said, hanging up and getting out of bed.

"Phil, where are you going?" AJ sighed.

"Dean is at Lia's moms house. He's trying to take Eva. He's out his face." Punk said, shoving some clothes back on as AJ sighed.

"You need to sleep." AJ said worriedly.

"Not as much as you do." Punk pointed out, "I'll be fine. Ian can give me a couple of days off towards the end of the week." He said, "You get to sleep and don't worry." He told her, walking around the bed and giving her a gentle kiss as he pulled away and left the bedroom to head out.


	53. Take Care

**Take Care**

* * *

Punk arrived at Lia's moms just in time, pulling up at the house where he could see Lia and her mother out of the house, worry and desperation on their faces whilst Dean seemed to be leaning into the back of his own car that was parked up in front.

"What the hell is going on?" Punk asked, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut, walking on over as Lia rushed towards him.

"He's-He's trying to take Eva home and… and he's out of it, I can't-you can't let him drive with her. Every time I go near him he just yells." Lia said, "And I don't want to scare Eva." She shook her head as Punk turned over to Dean who appeared to be strapping Eva in, of course finding it a little difficult given the fact he was completely drunk.

"Ok, just… stay there." Punk put his hand up, walking over to Dean, gently placing his hand on his back as Dean shoved him away, "Dean, c'mon man, you know you can't drive in this state." Punk said, trying to speak in a soft tone. Yelling sure as hell wouldn't do anything.

"Fuck off." Dean mumbled, "I'm taking my daughter home." He slurred.

"You can't drive in this state. You want to put Eva in danger? Is that what you want?" Punk asked him as Dean leaned back from in the car, looking at him, "C'mon, let Lia take her back in, she should be sleeping." Punk said, looking on at the two year old sat in her car seat, tired and confused as she held onto her teddy bear.

"What-What do you know about what… what she needs?" Dean pushed him a little, "I'm her father. And she…" He pointed to Lia, "She's keeping her from me."

"Because of the state you're in." Punk said, "Do you think Eva wants to see you like this? She doesn't know what's going on right now." He said, "Look at her." He said as Dean turned around and looked at Eva.

"She's fine. She's just… she misses her home." Dean said, "So that's where we're going."

"You know I'm not gonna let you leave here with her. You can't drive in this state." Punk said, "So why don't you unstrap her, give her to Lia and I'll drive you home?"

"No, fuck off." Dean shook his head angrily.

"How many times have we been at the scene of car crashes? Car crashes where the driver has been drunk? You want that to be you? You want that to be your own daughter?" He asked as Dean looked at him, "Look man I know you're struggling and this is breaking my heart to see you this way. But you need help. You shouldn't be ashamed or hard on yourself for relapsing. You're not the first person to do it. The good news is, you can help yourself, you can get back to a normal life." He nodded as Dean looked across at him, "It starts with you. You gotta do it for you, and if not you, do it for your daughter and your family, because they're still here and they still love you." He nodded as Dean stumbled back a little, placing his hands on his hips as he turned to Lia who had tears in her eyes.

"Please." Lia whispered, clasping her hands over her mouth as Dean turned to Punk, rubbing the side of his face as he drunkenly turned around, unclipping Eva from her car seat and lifting her out.

"You uh… you go to mommy, ok?" Dean nodded as Lia rushed over, taking Eva from him, caressing the back of her head and backing away as Dean scratched the back of his neck.

"I can drive you home." Punk nodded to Dean.

"I can walk." Dean insisted.

"I'd feel better if I drove you home." Punk admitted as Dean screwed his face up.

"I don't care what you feel." Dean said, "I don't need your pity. I don't need you looking at me like I'm a piece of shit-"

"I'm not, I'm fucking worried about you." Punk said, "You're like my brother. Ok, this is killing me. This is killing all of us to see you this way, Dean. We just want you to get better. No one is looking down on you. We just want to help and you won't let us."

"I don't need help." Dean grumbled.

"When will you realise you do?" Punk asked, "When you're in hospital again? Only this time they're not telling you, you could die, but they're telling you, you are dying." Punk said, "Every drink you're taking, it's one step closer and I know that's not what you want, I know this isn't a choice for you. One… one slip up, one moment of weakness and this is where you are, I get you're frustrated but there is still time to turn this around." He nodded, "And we'll help you." He nodded as Dean ran his hands over his face repeatedly and then shook his head.

"I'll walk home." Dean said.

"Dean." Punk shook his head, watching him turn around and walk off down the street, stumbling over a little until he was out of sight. He wasn't going to chase him down and baby him, he knew it would just end in violence and he didn't want to go there.

"Phil, what am I supposed to?" Lia asked, passing Eva to her mother who walked back into the house.

"I don't know." Punk sighed, running his hand through his hair, "He's not gonna… he's not gonna admit it." Punk shook his head.

"I don't want it to come down to him… ending up in hospital." She shook her head as Punk sighed and nodded. He could see how worried she was, she looked like she was barely sleeping or eating, and he knew Dean just wasn't in the right frame of mind to notice how worried she was, "He just checks himself out of rehab every time he goes in." She said as Punk nodded.

"I know." Punk said, "Maybe we should get him sober and really talk to him. There's no use saying shit when he's out of his face. It's not gonna register to him." He said as Lia nodded.

"Yeah." Lia said, "Problem is… he's never really sober anymore." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"We'll find a way. Even if it means… locking him up in a room for a night." He nodded as Lia sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Phil. You're the only one I can really call-"

"No, don't apologise. I want to help him as much as you do." Punk nodded as Lia smiled softly.

"How is Cami and… and the baby?" Lia asked.

"She is good." Punk nodded, "She's getting out tomorrow and… the baby is good, he's with his parents now." He smiled as Lia nodded, "They named him Cody."

"That's sweet." Lia smiled, "I hope it went as well as it could."

"Yeah, it's been… well, hard but… the way Cami and Seth wanted it, that's all I care about." He nodded as Lia smiled.

"And what about your baby?" Lia smiled, "How is AJ?"

"She's good. Uh the baby was kicking just before I came over. It was super weird." He said as Lia nodded and smiled.

"I don't think Dean even knows AJ is pregnant." Lia admitted, "He's just so out of it."

"I'm not gonna give up on helping him. We gotta try everything. I'd say the best place for him is a rehab facility but they only work for people who want the help. Right now he… he's just caught up." Punk nodded, "We'll keep pushing."

* * *

"Is it just me… or is that baby slowing you down?" Dana from the district attorney's office smiled, getting out of the courthouse where she saw AJ sitting on one of the steps outside.

"Go away." AJ shook her head, disappointed with herself in how her case had went that she was working on, needing some air.

"Mind if I sit?" Dana asked her.

"I do." AJ said.

"All the more reason to do it." Dana nodded, sitting down on the step beside her as AJ turned around, "I've known you for years, April. Smartest freaking lawyer on earth. I'll give you it." She said, "But I'm happy for you. Settling down, having a family, I think you'll find your perspective will change when defending some of your clients." She nodded.

"I doubt it." AJ said, "Truth is… I am absolutely terrified." She nodded.

"That's ok." Dana laughed a little, "I'd be worried if you weren't." She nodded, "I remember my first baby. It's terrifying but it's also really cool." She smiled as AJ nodded.

"Do you… want something from me or are you just… having a good day?" AJ raised a brow as Dana laughed.

"There's no catch." Dana said, "I saw you struggling today. It's ok. You're tired, probably hungry. Your mind is probably elsewhere."

"It shouldn't be." AJ sighed, disappointed in herself, "We were up all night. First at the hospital with Phil's sister having her baby and then Dean going on a drunk walkabout. I think I got… like an hours sleep. Phil got none." She said as Dana looked at her with concern.

"That's not gonna work. You need rest and sleep. And most importantly no stress. Take it from me. Babies in the womb do not like this place." She said as AJ smiled a little, "Your job isn't going anywhere, trust me. People are still gonna want you to represent them in… forty years, never mind just one or two."

"If I'm still doing this in forty years then please someone stop me." AJ shook her head, "It's not my job that's even concerning me." She admitted truthfully, "I don't mind not working. This place gives me a damn headache anyway." She said, "I just… I feel so unprepared. I don't know baby's, I don't know what a mom really does." She said, "Phil took care of his sister when she was a baby so, he's got the one up I guess." She nodded.

"Everything is gonna be new to both of you, that's normal, for every first time parents." Dana said, "And it's ok to be nervous, in fact it's good, it's healthy and normal." She nodded, "You just have to take care of yourself. I think you're gonna be just fine." She smiled as AJ just nodded.

"I hope so." AJ laughed as Dana smiled, "Thank you." She nodded, "I know we normally just scream at each other in court but… there's never any personal problems. I guess we just care about our job-"

"Yeah and I hate always losing to you." Dana said as AJ smiled, "But you work for it. That baby's got a tough mama for sure." She said as AJ smiled, "Just take care of yourself. You should go home and get some sleep." She said as AJ just nodded.

"Yeah, I will." AJ nodded tiredly, "Thanks." She said as Dana nodded, getting up and walking back up the steps into the court.

AJ sat for a few more minutes taking in the fresh air before getting up from the step and heading for her car parked outside the court. She was starting to feel the tiredness hit her and she knew Dana was right, she really did have to take care of herself, because it wasn't just her she was looking after at this point.

She was in the midst of throwing her things into the back of her car along with her purse, shutting it over and getting ready to get into the front when she heard her name being called on in a way that brought back childhood memories.

"Hey, little April."

AJ turned around, looking on and shaking her head with confusion, "Matthew?" She looked on.


	54. Panic

**Panic**

* * *

"Matthew, what are you doing here?" AJ shook her head as she looked on at her best friend's older brother.

"Just over to see a few friends." Matthew smiled, "Dom told me you'd probably be here, working away as usual." He nodded, "And look at you." He nodded to her bump with a smile, "Not the little girl I remember." He shook his head, "I wanted to see you at the trial but… we got the direct flight, didn't give me much time."

"Yeah, I thought you just didn't want to speak to me." AJ laughed a little.

"No, I just didn't get the chance." Matthew said as AJ nodded.

She'd known Matthew all her life it felt like. Due to their families being close and her being so close to Sofia, he was naturally in her life just as much.

"How long are you here for?" AJ asked him.

"Just a few days." Matthew said, "I don't know you can work in that place. Gives me nightmares." He looked up at the courthouse as AJ looked over too.

"I guess I'm just used to it." AJ shrugged.

"You're looking great. When are you even due? Dominic barely told me anything." Matthew said.

"Four months time." AJ said, "Trying not to freak out." She admitted truthfully.

"You'll be great." Matthew smiled softly, "You fancy going for a coffee? I'm not doing anything. Unless you have somewhere to be." He said casually.

"Uh… yeah, sure." AJ smiled, "I've finished up for the day anyway, and I am hungry." She admitted.

"Then it's on me." Matthew nodded as AJ smiled. He had always been lovely to her and sweet, but she knew Sofia's death really affected him in a lot of ways, mentally. It explained why he murdered Greg so viciously. She knew he could be dangerous if put to the test, but not to those he cared about.

* * *

They headed to a coffee shop not far from the courthouse and AJ was excited to tuck into the cake she'd taken a slice off. It was definitely what she needed after the day she'd had in court, and it was nice to catch up with an old face.

"You know what you're having?" Matthew asked her.

"No, we don't." AJ said, "I don't think we're gonna find out. I think I want it to be a surprise." She nodded, "I might cave in though if they ask. I know Phil isn't bothered either." She said as Matthew nodded.

"Phil." Matthew said as AJ looked at him, "He good to you?" He asked.

"God, you're worse than my brother." AJ laughed a little, "He's too good to me." AJ nodded, "We're taking this each day as it comes of course, it's pretty terrifying but… we've got a good relationship." She said confidently as Matthew smiled and nodded.

"Yeah your brother seems to like him." Matthew nodded, "And… I know that he knows about Greg. Honestly, I'm pretty shocked that a cop is keeping that information to himself. Maybe he's just doing it for you, but… I appreciate it. I wasn't in a good place and I know that's not a good reason for what I did but… that man saw Sofia that night, he could have stopped it all, I just… I lost it." He said as AJ nodded.

"It's all over now." AJ said, "There's no reason to… think about it, not about those bastards anyway, and not about Greg. What's done has been done." She nodded.

"Yeah." Matthew agreed.

"Have you saw my parents lately?" AJ wondered.

"Yeah, I mean I see them all the time." Matthew laughed a little, "Your mom is excited about the baby." He nodded.

"She's not been returning my calls. I'm kinda mad they didn't come to the trial to show their support." She admitted.

"No, I understood, so did my parents. Your mom hates flying and… they're really settled where they are. I think coming here gives them bad memories, you know?"

"So… is she not gonna come see me when I have the baby then?" AJ shrugged as Matthew looked across at her.

"I know you've never had the easiest relationship with her-"

"No kidding." AJ shook her head.

"But she does care about you. Talks about you all the time. Real proud of you for… for going it alone out here, pursuing your career to this extent. I mean you're making a comfortable living. And now you got a good guy, a baby on the way… she's super proud of you."

"Then why can't she tell me that? Am I supposed to guess how she's feeling?" AJ shook her head.

"I think she just doesn't have a good way with words." Matthew said, "My mom is the same. So was Sofia. Dry as a bone." He laughed a little as AJ smiled.

"I miss her." AJ shook her head, "I used to think that as time went on, things would get easier but… it really doesn't."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Matthew nodded, running his hand over his face, "Makes a huge difference knowing that those bastards, well… two of them at least, are getting what they deserve. In my eyes, there's no punishment severe enough for them but… it'll do." He nodded.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I'm just glad she has some justice now." She said as Matthew nodded.

"Me too." Matthew said, "She'd be so excited about the baby." He smiled.

"She would." AJ smiled, taking another bite of her cake as Matthew chuckled a little.

"You got a little." He pointed to the corner of his mouth to show her where some icing was on her face.

"There?" AJ asked, missing the icing as Matthew smiled and chuckled a little.

"No… here." He leaned over, wiping the corner of her mouth for her as AJ smiled and rolled her eyes a little.

"Can't even feed myself never mind a baby." AJ shook her head as Matthew smiled at her, continuing on with their chat.

* * *

"You ok?" Seth asked, helping Cami into her apartment later on in the day after she had been discharged from hospital. Things had happened all very quickly and it was difficult to come back from the hospital and pretend like everything was normal. They didn't regret their decision, especially when they had met the parents whom were adopting the baby. They were so wonderful and desperate for a child. But of course the initial process of it was challenging for both of them.

"Yeah, I'm good." Cami smiled, slowly walking over to the couch whilst Seth shut the door over and carried her bag into her room. He'd been around a lot more for her. Once he ended his relationship after confessing what had happened, he spent a lot more time with Cami making sure she felt supported by him. He didn't want her to do this alone. Nothing had been romantic, if he wound up staying with her one night he would crash on the couch.

"I've sat your bag on your bed, I can unpack it later." Seth told her, watching her sit down on the couch slowly, "What you fancy for dinner?" He asked her.

"Seth, you don't have to stay around because you feel you have to." Cami reminded him. She had appreciated the support from him, and most importantly the friendship he'd shown her, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to be there all the time.

"I'm not. I want to be here or you." Seth nodded, walking over and sitting down beside her, "It's not gonna be easy and I just want to be here for you. Can you let me do that?" He asked her as she looked at him.

"I ruined your life with this." Cami shook her head, "It's why I didn't want you involved. It didn't seem fair-"

"It takes two to tango." Seth said, "I wasn't happy in my relationship. You didn't ruin anything. I'm the one in the wrong for not ending my relationship and being unfaithful. But that doesn't matter now because it's over and I can focus on helping you." He nodded.

"Thank you." Cami smiled softly, "Phil said he saw the parents in the hospital and they were really happy." She nodded, "I still feel like something is missing. It's not a good feeling but… knowing he's ok and he's safe with a family who will love him makes it all easier." She said, "I kept saying to myself, I just gave up on him way too quickly, I didn't give him or myself a chance to do this-"

"You had valid reasons." Seth said, "And you shouldn't doubt anything. We made the decision together and it felt like the best one for the situation."

"I just didn't want to let him down, and I have a feeling I would have. He doesn't deserve that." Cami said, "I do love him." She nodded to him as Seth gulped and nodded, "I really love him and I'm scared that… I'll never get him out of my mind." She sighed, "And I don't want him to grow up and think we did this because we didn't want him or love him."

"He's not gonna think that." Seth shook his head, placing his hand on her leg, "He's gonna grow up with a family who love him and they're gonna tell him, when he's old enough, that we gave him away because we wanted better for him. There's no wrong in that." She said as Cami nodded, drying her tears.

"I just want a good life for him." Cami nodded to herself.

"I do too." Seth said, "And he'll get it." He nodded, "It's not easy. It feels hollow and wrong." He said as she nodded, "But it's not gonna last forever, it's just gonna take a bit of time."

"Yeah." Cami said, "You don't have to be this nice." She laughed a little as Seth smiled.

"I'm not usually." Seth reminded her, "But I know how you feel. I'm feeling it too." He said as she nodded, "But it'll get better." He said as she nodded.

"Why don't you stay and we can just order in later?" Cami asked, "We can watch a movie. I can't promise I won't fall asleep." She said as he smiled.

"I can forgive you if you do." Seth said as he just smiled. She was glad she had him at this difficult time. They could both lean on each other.

* * *

Punk was on his way home, running on zero sleep yet he knew he had to stop by at Dean's house to check in on him to see if he was even there and if he was ok. His plan to lock him up for the night was pretty degrading, but he knew it was the only way to sober him up at this point, to where he could hopefully have a normal conversation with him.

He got out of the car once parking up outside the house, walking down the pathway and stopping at the door which he knocked on, waiting for a few minutes before going ahead and trying the door, which was open.

He walked on into the house, closing the door over behind him and looking down the dark hallway, walking down and turning into the living room, turning around where he saw Dean lying on the couch past out.

It took his eyes a few minutes to catch up with his brain however as he heard what sounded like Dean choking, too unconscious and drunk to feel that he was throwing up, lying flat on his back.

"Dean." Punk panicked, immediately rushing over to him and turning him around, noticing he'd started to turn a funny purple colour whilst choking, turning him around onto his side as he thankfully threw up successfully whilst Punk took a deep breath and placed his hand over his mouth. It wasn't the realisation of what he had to do, but the realisation that if he hadn't been there, if he'd decided to go home instead or take a longer detour, the outcome could have been disastrous.

"Ok, man. You're alright." Punk nodded, rubbing Dean's back as he continued to throw up, only this time Punk noticed he was throwing up blood and wincing a little, "You in pain?" Punk asked with worry as Dean rolled back onto his back, "No stay on your side." Punk told him, keeping him on the side. It appeared Dean was so out of it he wasn't even registering that Punk was there.

"Fucking hell." Dean winced, holding his side as Punk looked on with worry. He knew it wasn't normal to throw up blood, and it appeared that he was in a lot of pain.

"Ok, we're going to the hospital." Punk nodded, "C'mon." He said, trying to help Dean up, watching him clutch his side as he did so, suddenly starting to really worry about his best friend's health.


	55. Offer

**Offer**

* * *

"What's going on? What's happening?" Lia asked, rushing to the hospital after Punk had called her.

He took Dean straight to the hospital. The only reason Dean went along with it was because he was in so much pain that resisting wasn't an option. He got taken away relatively quickly and Punk was waiting for news on him in the waiting room.

"Uh… I found him he was… he was choking on his own vomit." Punk said, shaken up of course. This man was like his brother and so seeing him in this state, which had to have been worse than the last time, was really hard to watch.

"Oh my God." Lia shook her head, placing her hand over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

"I… I turned him on his side and he threw up. But... he was in a lot of pain and throwing up blood so I just drove him here myself, I knew I'd get him there quicker." He nodded, "They just took him right away, said they'd do tests, screening, they have all his records so they'll know about the poisoning before." He nodded.

"How did we let it get to this again?" Lia shook her head as Punk sighed.

"It can take a turn for the worst at any time. He had acute alcohol poisoning. It can be one drink, two or three hundred. He's not been the easiest to talk to lately and… we tried the rehab, we tried things." Punk sighed. The last thing he wanted to feel was guilty.

"I know." Lia sighed, "What if… what if this is really bad?" Lia asked. She hadn't been around the last time when he was hospitalised. It was all extremely hard to see someone she loved, someone she shared a life with, had a child with and loved so very much, in such emotional and physical distress. It broke her heart.

"He's in the best place." Punk nodded, "He was conscious and breathing so… that's a plus." He shook his head.

"But you said he was in pain." Lia said.

"He was in a lot of pain the last time. He's torturing his body." Punk said, "His insides must be screaming." He shook his head Lia sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "Where is Eva?"

"She's with Dean's mom. I've to call her as soon as we get an update, she wanted to come but I… I had no one else to watch Eva." She shook her head as Punk nodded just as a doctor approached them both.

"Are you the family of Mr Ambrose?" He asked, his name tag reading Lenny.

"Yeah, we are." Lia said, "Uh I'm his wife." She nodded, just to be sure to get an update even though they weren't married.

"I'm Doctor Conway, just call me Lenny." He smiled, "I'm treating your husband and it… it appears that he, well to be blunt, he needs a liver transplant." He nodded as Lia's face dropped, "It's a daunting thing to hear, I know. But Mr Ambrose's liver is… barely functioning, and while you can live on a small portion of the liver, you can't live without it." He said, "I read his files, says he had acute alcohol poisoning a few years ago." He said.

"Uh yeah." Punk nodded, taking over as he noticed Lia standing in shock, "He did. He's been sober for… six years coming up for seven." He said, "But he's been drinking again, hard." Punk said.

"He's operating in a dangerous area now." Lenny said.

"If he needs a transplant then… then it needs to happen then, right?" Lia nodded, "That can happen now?" She wondered as Lenny looked down at his clipboard and sighed.

"Unfortunately there is a process." Lenny said as Lia shook her head, "First we need probably do an assessment on him which could take a day, maybe two, and then he'll get put on a waiting list-"

"A waiting list?" Lia shook her head, "You said that he's… his liver is failing, that means something needs to happen now." She said.

"He can't have a transplant if there's no one to give him one." Lenny pointed out, "He'll be put on a waiting list."

"How long is this waiting list?" Punk was scared to ask as Lenny groaned a little.

"About… 5 to 7 months." Lenny said as Lia shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead.

"He will be dead by then." Lia said bluntly, "If it's failing, how can he go on for five to seven months?" She shook her head, feeling like she was going crazy.

"There's nothing I can do about that. A lot of people are on the list and not enough are donors." He said, "If we keep Mr Ambrose here, stabilised, healthy as we can, there's a good chance he can survive this-"

"I don't want a good chance." Lia spat, "I want him fixed now. I want the transplant done now. He has a daughter. You're gonna just let him die because of a damn waiting list?"

"Ok, calm down." Punk nodded to Lia, placing his hand on her back.

"I understand this is a difficult time." Lenny said, "And we really are doing all we can to help Dean right now, but it's my job to tell you everything you should know." He nodded as Lia shook her head, trying to dry her tears as Punk scratched his forehead.

"Do the same rules apply if it's someone he knows that gives him the transplant?" Punk asked.

"Well no but… that person would have to be a match in blood type with him and also be assessed." Lenny said, "Free of any drugs or alcohol for a month."

"I don't drink and I don't do drugs." Punk said, "My blood type… I don't know what it is but… you can take my blood and find out, see if it matches."

"Phil." Lia shook her head, "You're not… you don't-"

"This is the reaction we get from a lot of families. There's no pressure to do this. Dean will be stabilised-"

"I'm not risking my friend dying because he was too far down on a damn waiting list." Punk said, "Someone come take my blood." He said as Lenny nodded.

"Come with me." Lenny said.

"Call April, tell her I'm here." Punk nodded to Lia who just shook her head, not believing the selflessness and courage of Punk as he walked off to go have his blood taken.

* * *

"What's Dean's blood type?" Punk asked, sitting in a room later on, holding a piece of cotton wool to the side of his arm where he had just given a blood sample.

"He's B positive. It's common but, not the most common." Lenny said whilst over at the counter, "If you're a match, you'll be assessed, you'll be told everything you need to know and then we can progress." He nodded.

"And if I'm not, he waits five months in pain and might not even make it that far?" Punk nodded as Lenny turned around.

"I don't agree with the system either but I can't prioritise Dean over someone else who has been waiting for a while. It's not how it works. I wish there was an easier solution, I do." Lenny said as Punk nodded. He understood it wasn't this man's fault.

"You're just doing your job." Punk waved his hand, "How is he doing right now?"

"We've got him set up in a room. He's on a drip. Pretty out of it." Lenny nodded.

"How long do I need to wait to know what my type is?" Punk asked him.

"Should just be a few minutes." Lenny said, testing the blood as Punk nodded and sighed a little whilst looking around the room. He hated hospitals, doctors, injections, even the smell of hospitals gave him a weird feeling in his stomach, but he couldn't sit by and watch his best friend wait and suffer at the bottom of a list.

"So… say we do this assessment thing tonight, could we do the transplant tomorrow?" Punk asked.

"It's gonna take a few days to go over everything, with you and with Dean, if you're a match." He said, "I assume you'll also have to inform your own family members." He said.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering what AJ would think. The last thing he wanted was to worry her right now, "What are the chances I'm even the same type." He shook his head as Lenny continued with the testing.

"In your favour." Lenny nodded, "It's a match." He turned to him as Punk raised his eyebrows.

* * *

"Phil, what the hell?" AJ shook her head, standing up from the waiting area where she sat with Lia who had explained everything to her once she arrived, "What are you thinking?" AJ clutched his arms.

"I'm a match." Punk nodded as Lia raised her eyebrows, "And I'm thinking I'm not spending every day for the next five months wondering if my best friend is gonna die or not." Punk shook his head.

"This is a huge thing." AJ said, "There can be so many complications for both of you."

"I know." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna go through an assessment, they're gonna tell us everything we need to know, same for Dean, and we can… we can get it done." He nodded to Lia.

"Phil, I don't expect this from you at all." Lia made clear, she didn't want him to feel pressured into doing this.

"I know you don't, but I want to. I need to." Punk said as AJ looked up at him worriedly, "And I don't want you to worry." He shook her head, looking on at AJ, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I'm gonna be fine." He smiled and nodded.

"How do you know that?" AJ shook her head, "This baby does not like stress." She made clear.

"I know, I know and I'm so sorry to you and to the baby, but… I've got a good doctor here." He turned back to Lenny who smiled and nodded to AJ, "He's gonna explain everything to us, and then Dean has to know about it. It'll be a few weeks at the most, right?" He turned to Lenny who nodded.

"What's the recovery time? Will you be in pain?" AJ asked him as Lenny looked on.

"If you want, I can give the consultation to right now." Lenny said, "I can talk you through it before we actually do testing to make sure your fit enough." He said as AJ turned to Punk and nodded.

"Yeah, please." AJ nodded, feeling anxious and worried, of course she did. Not just because Dean was in a very seriously dangerous position, but because her boyfriend was willing to go through major surgery to help him.

"Could I see Dean?" Lia asked, "Will I get to know what's happening?" She wondered worriedly.

"I'll have a nurse come take you to his room. You'll be able to sit in on the consultation I have with Dean. I'll do it in the morning." He nodded to her, "Uh… Lisa." He called over to a nurse standing by, "Could you please take this lady to her husband's room, room 209." He said.

"Sure." Lisa smiled as Lia nodded and followed the nurse, just desperate to see Dean at this point. Although it was a worry that Punk was putting himself out there to give the transplant, it was also a relief in a way that they didn't have to wait so long.

* * *

Punk and AJ joined Lenny in his office for a consultation where he explained to them the process of what would happen. After hearing more about it AJ felt a little more ease, and then she would panic, and then she'd feel at ease again. It wasn't something she'd expected and she was just worried about her boyfriend's health, as well as Dean's.

"It's my job to also tell you about the complications that you could have. There's more for Dean than there are you but… you can still face some of these issues." Lenny nodded, "You could suffer a hernia, abdominal bleeding, bile leakage, intestinal problems and organ impairment." He said as AJ gulped and turned to Punk who just nodded.

"Anything else?" Punk said, trying to make light, turning to AJ who was glancing at him worriedly, "Ok."

"I've done a lot of these, ok? Rarely do we see such huge complications, once done it's a rather simple process." Lenny said, more specifically looking at AJ who looked more and more worried, "You'll be in hospital for about a week during the whole thing and then recovery time for you will be six to eight weeks."

"That's not so bad." Punk nodded.

"Phil, it's so important that you realise no one is pressuring you to do this. It's actually part of the assessment that we make sure you feel no pressure. A lot of people do and we see a lot of people change their minds." He nodded, "And that's ok if you do."

"I'm not gonna change my mind." Punk shook his head, "I want to help my friend. He'd do the same for me." He nodded as AJ sighed. It was true, they were more like brothers and she wasn't surprised at the selfless act he was carrying out, but she was just incredibly worried about both of them now, and shocked that he was going to go through this major operation.

"Ok." Lenny nodded, "Ok, well I've explained everything that's going to happen. Do you have any questions?" He wondered.

"Is this guaranteed going to help Dean?" AJ asked.

"There's a good chance. Sometimes the transplant is rejected and there are complications but he needs it so… it's a small risk that usually pays off." He nodded.

"Will he be in pain?" AJ asked.

"It's a big operation." Lenny nodded, "But you'll be well looked after here and plenty of medication to help." He said as Punk nodded.

"How long is the operation?" AJ asked, her mind was bursting with questions, still in shock that this was something her boyfriend was going to be going through.

"Eight hours." Lenny said as AJ nodded, rubbing her forehead tiredly as Punk could see her starting to look uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel scared.

"So I can come in to do the tests and stuff throughout the week?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, so we'll just take some scans, we'll need a chest x-ray, liver biopsy, breathing and blood tests, lots of that and also a ton of legal questions as well as health and lifestyle questions. Dean will be taken through the same process, maybe a little slower due to his state, and hopefully we can then have a date to do it." He nodded.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "Thank you. I really appreciate your help." Punk stood up, noticing AJ had gone quiet, which he knew happened when she was worrying excessive amounts.

"Anything at all, call me, we'll have these tests scheduled for you." Lenny said, shaking his hand as Punk nodded, leaving the office with AJ who walked beside him, until she stopped in the middle of the hospital corridor and looked up at him.

"This is terrifying." AJ paused, looking up at him as he looked at her and nodded.

"I know." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him tightly, almost scared to let go, "It's gonna be ok." He kissed her head and nodded, "I promise."


	56. Through It Together

**Through It Together**

* * *

"Here, have some tea." Punk said, walking over to their kitchen table the next morning. When they got home the previous night, they crashed in bed right away after the night they'd had at the hospital. Punk had been running on zero sleep as it was, and AJ was also tired and in shock of what was going to happen.

"I feel like shit." AJ shook her head, rubbing her hand over her face, still in her pyjamas, feeling tired with a headache.

"Yeah, me too." Punk said, sitting down the mugs and sitting across from her, "I called Ian this morning, told him what was going on and that I'd need a few days off this week if I wanna get these tests and the rest of this assessment done."

"Phil, I know he's your best friend, your brother, but… that doesn't mean anyone expects you to go through this-"

"I expect myself to do it." Punk nodded, "If I didn't feel like I could, then I wouldn't. You know that. I'm a relatively healthy person. I can bounce back easily." He assured her, "The operations are normally always successful, you heard the doctor." He nodded.

"And what if you do this and then Dean just drinks again? It'd be all for nothing." AJ said.

"I'd like to think that he'd come to his senses after having a transplant, and that with the right follow up therapy and rehab, he'd be ok again." Punk nodded.

"I'll be about 7 months along when you go for the operation." AJ pointed out to him.

"Look, I know you're stressing over it and that kills me, especially when I know it affects the baby, but what do you want me to do? He's gonna be on a waiting list for five months, at least. His liver is failing, he's not gonna make it to five months, he's lucky if he makes the one month." He said, "There's no choice here for me, I'm doing it." He told her as AJ sighed to herself.

"I get it. I know you love him, I do too. I just don't want you to get hurt or have complications. You heard all the problems you can have with this-"

"Yeah, on the rare occasion." Punk said, "You can't think of the worst possible scenario all the time." He reminded her, "It's not a long recovery time, six to eight weeks I'll be out-"

"Out of work, which means shitty sick pay, and we have a baby coming." AJ said, "The timing is just… could not be any worse." She shook her head, placing her hand over her head.

"April, do you expect me not to do this for Dean?" Punk asked her as she looked at him, "Honestly?"

"Of course I don't." AJ said, "I'm just worried about you. About him too. He's obviously in a bad way and… it is a big operation, for both of you." She said.

"I know." Punk nodded, "And it's not what I want but… it speeds things up and if it means that… I'm laid up for a few weeks, in exchange for my best friend to be ok, then fine." He said, "I'll be back to normal in plenty time for the baby coming." He promised her as AJ nodded, "Try not worry so much. I know that's not something you like me saying but… things will be ok." He said as she nodded and sighed.

"I just hate that it's come to this." AJ sighed, "But what else could we have done?"

"I know, we can't start thinking about what we should have done. We did try things. We tried to help but it's hard in these situations." He said, "I'll get these tests done this week and I assume the doctor will talk to Dean, and then it'll be setting a date for the operation."

"I won't take on any cases." AJ shook her head, "Not until you're home and you're ok. I'll have to take care of you." She said as he smiled.

"You're too good to me." Punk said as she just smiled, "We'll get through this. I know it's scary, but these doctors know what they're doing and I'll be fine." He nodded to her. He knew she was always going to worry about it, even if he reassured her and reassured her, but he just wanted her to know he wasn't doing it because he felt pressure, and that things would be ok.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you, I had coffee with Sofia's brother yesterday. He was in town, he is in town for a few days, and he saw me outside the courthouse."

"Having coffee with other men? Way to kick me when I'm down." Punk teased.

"Nothing like that." AJ smiled, "He just wanted to catch up. It was nice to see him. He used to be in my life so much. And he brought up Greg." She eyed him as Punk shook his head.

"What about him?"

"Just that he was grateful to me and you, especially you, for keeping it a secret. He said he just wasn't in the right frame of mind when it happened." AJ said.

"Most killers aren't." Punk said, "I don't like talking about it." He said.

"I know." AJ nodded, "He was just over to see some old friends. It was nice of him to come find me. Sofia's death really hurt him, you know? He's been so lost for so long." She said, "He seems a little more at peace." She said as Punk nodded, "He also said my mom has been telling everyone in Puerto Rico about the baby." She rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with that?" Punk chuckled a little.

"Well… nothing but… she doesn't respond to my calls ever, she doesn't come visit, it's like she lives on a planet of her own." She shook her head, "I still think she won't come when I have the baby. I just got a feeling."

"Stop these negative thoughts." Punk said, "They're not healthy for the brain."

"Neither is you going for a major operation but nevertheless." AJ said, lifting her tea to her lips as Punk just made a face, "I won't be carrying you up and down the stairs."

"C'mon, you've gotta be my nurse." He smirked, "You could even wear the outfit." He winked as she laughed.

"Whilst I'm huge and pregnant? That's not exactly sexy." She scoffed.

"I'll be the judge of that." Punk told her as she smiled, "How long is Matthew here for?"

"A few days. He said me and him should do dinner one night somewhere, on him. That was before all of this was going on I suppose." She nodded.

"Hey you should go out. Have a nice night and catch up. I'll get these tests done this week." Punk nodded.

"I'm not really in the mood I guess. I have his number so I'll let him know either way." She said, "I'm just really tired." She admitted.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" He asked her, "You look exhausted." He nodded.

"I might." AJ gave in, standing up, "Will you still be here?"

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere today. Maybe later I'll go visit Dean and see how he's doing." He said as AJ nodded.

"Maybe you should come back to bed then." AJ said, walking over to him as he shook his head.

"No, I won't sleep." Punk shook his head, placing his hand on her belly as she smiled, "You and the little guy need more rest than I do."

"Might not be a little guy." AJ reminded him.

"Little lady." Punk shrugged as she smiled, "Go. I'll be here when you wake up." He nodded to her as she smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss on his lips softly before leaving the kitchen to go back to bed.

He knew it was a huge thing, especially with the timing of it when they were expecting their baby soon, but Punk just couldn't stop himself. He wouldn't let his friend wait for so long when he could help him much quicker. Financially things didn't have to be worried over. They both earned a good wage and had a lot of money saved, and he knew he wasn't buried into some case or report at work and neither was AJ, but just the whole thought of it was a big deal and he could understand why AJ was worried, but he had to help his best friend.

* * *

Later on that night after AJ and Punk took the time to catch up on some sleep and relax a little after so much going on, they took a trip into the hospital to go visit Dean and to make appointments for Punk to get some of the tests done that he had to.

They were taken to Dean's room and when they saw him in bed, they were both shocked at how he looked. He was a funny yellow colour, rail thin with heavy eyes. As his friends, especially for Punk, it was terrifying to see and Punk could see it was so much worse than the first time. He looked like he really was dying.

"Hey." Punk sighed, walking on further into the room after pausing in shock for a few minutes.

"Hi." Dean said quietly. He was hooked to a lot of different machinery to monitor him, and he himself knew he was in a terrible way, yet all his brain could think about was a drink.

"Hey." AJ sighed, closing the door over and walking on into the room, "H-How are you feeling?" She asked, even though she felt it was a dumb question, pulling over a chair as did Punk to take a seat by his bed.

"Been better." Dean told them honestly, "You're not… you're not giving me the transplant." He pointed to Punk, "You're not putting yourself through that just for me. I won't let you." Dean shook his head.

"I'm not giving you a damn choice. You'd do the same for me." He said.

"You'd never get yourself in this state though." Dean shook his head, "Lia thinks I'm gonna die." He said.

"Well to be honest, you're close to it, Dean." Punk said bluntly, "You're not just taking a risk anymore, that risk has blown up in your face now and… and we're running out of options, this is the last and final option." He nodded, "I don't want to see you like this, it's killing me." He said as Dean looked at him, "But I'm doing this, you're getting the transplant, I don't think you can wait on that list for one. I don't think you have the time and the doctors don't think you do either." He said honestly as Dean nodded. It was the harsh reality he needed.

"Have I lost everything?" Dean asked. He'd been constantly drunk for so long that he wasn't even aware of what had been going on for the past few weeks, and barely could comprehend the fact AJ was pregnant with a clearly visible baby bump.

"No, you've not lost everything." AJ said immediately, "You've got your family and your friends right here." She nodded.

"Ian hasn't said anything to me about the job." Punk said, "I don't think he has the heart." He nodded, "But you got your family and friends, we don't… we don't turn our backs on each other."

"I'd turn my back on me." Dean shook his head, "I'm a fucking mess." He croaked.

"You can't think like that." Punk said, "This is where we are now, we can get the transplant done and you can build yourself back up again." He nodded.

"You don't have to do this, you don't have to feel like you need to go through this. I can wait on that waiting list-"

"I'm doing it because I want to. Because I want to help you as quickly as I can." Punk nodded, "No pressure, none of that is making me do it." He made clear.

"How… How far along are you?" Dean pointed to AJ.

"Five months. Almost six." AJ smiled as Dean nodded, "We don't know what we're having. I don't think we're gonna find out." She said, turning to Punk who nodded in agreement.

"Nervous?" Dean asked them with a smile.

"Terrified." AJ smiled as Dean nodded.

"You'll be fine." Dean said as AJ smiled, placing her hand on her stomach, "Lia was trying to figure out if they'd let Eva into see me. I'm not sure I want her to see me like this but… I miss her." He shook his head, "I don't deserve either of them."

"You can't be this hard on yourself." Punk said, "None of this is your fault." He shook his head, "You have a problem and you've tried to get help and couldn't. Eva is still gonna love you and I know Lia does. She's just worried about the whole thing. I think we all are." Punk nodded.

"I didn't want to drag you down with me." Dean shook his head.

"You're not dragging me down." Punk said, "Since we were kids we always got into shit together. It's been our thing. We got into trouble together, ditched school together, joined the academy together… so, we're doing this thing together whether you like it or not." Punk nodded as Dean smiled to him. His sober self knew how lucky he was to have a friend like Punk, a brother, "But this liver covers the next few birthday presents." Punk teased as Dean laughed lightly, trying not to laugh too much with the pain he felt.

"Thank you." Dean nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat as Punk just nodded, patting his arm softly as AJ watched on. She wasn't against Punk having the operation, she knew it meant a lot to Dean and he really did need the transplant quickly. She was just worried in general about the both of them going through such a major operation.

"I'm getting tests done this week and then more assessment, you'll get it too, and then they'll give us a date for the operation." He said as Dean nodded, "We'll get there. It'll be ok." He said as Dean nodded tearfully.


	57. Tests

**Tests**

* * *

"I think he knows how serious this is." AJ said, coming out of their bathroom in their room that night after getting back from the hospital, rubbing her face with some moisturiser whilst Punk sat against the headboard staring into nothing, "Phil." She said.

"Huh? What?" Punk turned to her.

"Dean. I think he knows how bad this is. How serious." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, well he's in hospital about to get someone else's liver, he knows it's not good." Punk nodded, "But maybe it'll… it'll make him realise that it's not just a risk anymore it's… it's happening, he can't continue with his life until he gets this transplant and after that he can't… he just can't drink again." He shook his head.

"How are you feeling about all these tests you need to get done?" AJ asked him, closing the bathroom door over and turning the light off, walking over to their bed and getting in at her side, "I know you don't like doctors and hospitals." She said.

"It's fine. I gotta do what I gotta do." Punk nodded, "It's just some questions, some scans and x-rays. Won't take long." He assured not only her but himself, "You know your life doesn't have to stop just because mines has for a little while. You don't have to stay at home and take care of me." He shook his head.

"The doctor said you're gonna need someone there." AJ tilted her head, "You're gonna be sore for a few weeks. I'm gonna need to help you up and down the stairs and… shower." She said.

"Well I don't see how that should be a problem." Punk smiled, "We do that already."

"We do." AJ smiled, "But I still gotta be here for you, I want to." She nodded, "And plus, I don't think the baby likes the courthouse very much. I'm either throwing up or it kicks like mad when I'm standing up to cross someone. I think me and it would be much happier here with you anyway." She said as he smiled.

"It's sad we gotta call it, it." Punk sighed, "Maybe we should have found out what it is."

"No, I want it to be a surprise." AJ frowned, "We can come up with something to call it for just now. Like a cute name." She said, looking down at her tummy and rubbing it softly.

"Like what?" Punk laughed a little.

"What about little Punk." She smiled.

"So you think it's a boy?" Punk asked her.

"No. A girl could be a little Punk." AJ nodded, "I don't know, just something so we don't have to keep saying it. It feels rude." She shook her head as Punk smiled.

"Hey, little Punk is fine with me." Punk nodded, "It will be a little Punk, let's face it, you don't know what you've got yourself in for." He smiled to her as she just shook her head.

"I do and I'm excited." She said, "Totally freaking out of course." She nodded, "At least we have a start on the nursery so it won't be a rush after your recovery." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah that's what I was thinking." Punk nodded, "Before I go to the hospital I'm gonna go see Ian tomorrow, tell him what's going on and that I need the time off work. He should be sweet but… I know how he gets." He shook his head.

"You're not leading anything anyway." AJ said.

"No." Punk nodded, "And hey, I don't want you to worry about money, ok? We've got it covered, I'd say we have plenty saved."

"We do, I just… when you hear that you're gonna be off work for more than two months, I don't know… coming from a family who never had money, it scares me." She shrugged as Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer to his body.

"I know." Punk said, kissing her head, "I get it. But… we're gonna be fine. If I thought for a second that you and little Punk weren't taken care of enough then… then I wouldn't go through with this operation. We're lucky that we are sort of ready and we have the money and the stability." He nodded as she smiled.

"You said little Punk." AJ smiled up at him.

"Well I thought I'd try and make it stick." He smiled as she nodded.

"I like it." She nodded, leaning up and pressing a kiss on his lips softly as he kissed back gently, cupping her cheek as she moved further up, moving her leg around so she was straddling his hips, caressing the side of his neck whilst they enjoyed a passionate kiss.

AJ then pushed her shorts and panties down whilst he did the same with his boxers, tangling her hand down between them as she massaged her clit with her fingers whilst he pushed her vest down instead of taking it off where it bushed down around her ribs just above her bump.

She moaned to herself as he used his mouth on her breasts whilst she continued to stroke her clit until she finally stroked his length up and down before guiding it up inside her, sinking down and biting her lip as Punk watched her.

"Fuck." AJ gasped, placing her hands on his neck, moving up and down slowly as he moaned to himself and leaned forward to kiss her neck, holding her close to him and thrusting up into her, leaning his head against her shoulder as they disappeared into one another for the night.

* * *

"Phil, take all the time you need." Ian nodded, the next morning where Punk was in Ian's office at the station explaining to him what was going on and why he also needed the time off work as well as Dean.

"I can get back as soon as possible." Punk nodded.

"No, take your time. You and Dean have… you've been my best workers since day one, and never have you both had time off, not more than like a week or something." Ian shook his head, "And given the circumstances, I want Dean to get better, and for you to recover so… there's no rush just… take your time." He nodded as Punk sighed with relief.

"Will-Will Dean's job be here when he's… he's ready to come back?" Punk asked, almost too scared to ask and find the answer out.

"Just… focus on getting him better. That's more important right now." Ian said, "I'll get you both signed off for a sick line." He nodded.

"Thank you." Punk said.

"How is your sister and Seth?" Ian asked, "It's been very quiet with all three of you not here." He admitted truthfully.

"They're ok. I mean, finding it difficult of course but they've been helping each other." Punk nodded, "They're probably the best out of all of us at this point." He admitted, "I'm on my way to do some tests. I need to go through this assessment at the hospital to make sure I'm healthy and fit enough to give the transplant."

"Well you don't smoke drink or do drugs so I'd say you're the ideal person for this type of thing." Ian said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I guess they just gotta go through a process." Punk nodded.

"So when will the operation take place?" Ian asked.

"In about a month by the time they get everything tested and set a date." Punk nodded, "He needs it as soon as possible." He shook his head.

"I'll come visit you both once it's done. I don't wanna intrude right now. It should be family only." Ian said as Punk nodded, "So… when you get out won't April be… really pregnant?" Ian cringed a little.

"She'll be about eight months, yeah." Punk nodded, "She's ok about. She was freaked out at first but… she's coming round. I'll be ok, we both will." Punk said, "And we've got a lot of things in order for the baby anyway so… it's not a worry." He said as Ian nodded.

"Well hey if I can do anything for her or you during all this, let me know, I'll be happy to help." Ian said as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, thank you." Punk nodded to him. They'd known Ian since they were both rookies and he thought that this would be the reaction he got from him, and was glad to hear that Dean hadn't been completely fired from his job, it gave a little more hope that things could get better and back to normal soon enough.

* * *

Whilst Punk was out at the hospital having some of the tests he had to get done, AJ was at home and was trying to figure out what they still had to do for the nursery. It had been painted and decorated but there was barely any furniture in it, they hadn't even picked out any. She knew it wouldn't take long for it to be delivered and built but it was still something she of course was worrying about.

She was in the midst of looking through some brochures when there was a knock at the door. She got up and wandered out of the living room, opening up the door where she saw Matthew standing.

"Hey." AJ nodded pleasantly.

"Hi." Matthew smiled, walking on in once AJ opened the door further and stepped aside, "I've been trying to call you, are you ignoring me?" He laughed a little.

"Oh, no… my phone has been out of charge for like a day." She admitted, "Honestly, I can show you." She said as Matthew laughed and shook his head.

"I believe you." Matthew said, "I was actually just wanting to know if you wanted to grab dinner tonight? Whilst I'm still here for a few days." He said, following her into the living room as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, dinner would be nice." AJ said, "I'm in the middle of ordering some baby furniture so I'll be ready for some good food, this stuff stresses me out." She admitted as Matthew laughed a little.

"Let me take a look." He said, sitting down next to her and taking one of the brochures, "What colour is the nursery?" He asked her.

"Well it's white but one wall is like a mural. Someone Phil works with had a number of some guy, he came out and painted it. It's like all jungle animals. Lions, tigers, bears." She waved her hand.

"Oh my." Matthew laughed as AJ smiled, "That would be nice." He pointed to the wooden crib, "Works for a boy or a girl." He said as AJ looked on and nodded.

"That is super nice actually." AJ nodded, taking the brochure from him, "Oh and there's matching dressers and a changing table to go with it." She noticed on the brochure.

"I have an eye for these things." Matthew smiled.

"You do." AJ said, "I really like that actually." She admitted, "It would go with the nursery." She nodded, "I'll show Phil. He probably won't be home until later."

"Working?" Matthew asked her.

"No, he's at the hospital. He's ok." She said immediately, "But uh… his best friend needs a liver transplant, desperately and so Phil is a match and is gonna give the transplant, they're just doing a lot of tests right now to make sure he's fit enough." She nodded.

"Oh, man." Matthew said, "Sounds like a big surgery, for both parties." He said, not making AJ feel any better.

"I know. I am worried but… Dean really needs the transplant and it's just the type of person Phil is. I'm sure they'll be ok. The doctors know what they're doing and… I'll be there to take care of him after it." She said as Matthew nodded.

"You look like you could do with some good food, no offence." He said as AJ laughed a little.

"No, I agree." AJ nodded, "And if you're only here for a few more days then… it'd be a shame to not do something." She said as Matthew nodded, "I'm free tonight if you are."

"Yeah." Matthew nodded, "I can pick you up later and we can just pick somewhere in town. I won't keep you too late, tell your mister not to worry."

"He's fine. I told him about grabbing dinner with you anyway. He's probably gonna be at the hospital for most of the day anyway. I'll give him a call." She said as Matthew nodded, standing up.

"Ok, well I'll see you later then?" Matthew said as she nodded and smiled, walking him out of the house and returning to look at more baby furniture.


	58. Fight

**Fight**

* * *

"Now this… this is cute." Matthew smiled, lifting up a pink giraffe that was sitting on a stand in the store they ended up going into on their way home from dinner, "You're gonna have the kid loving animals." He laughed a little as AJ took the giraffe from him and smiled.

"This is sweet." She smiled, rubbing the giraffe's velvet ears back and forth.

"Must be expensive, having to buy all this shit." Matthew nodded as AJ sat the giraffe back on the stand and looked at some of the baby grows, "I mean, I know you're a lawyer and all, but… must be overwhelming."

"Yeah, it is." AJ said, "Not really because of the money but… just having a baby. Knowing it's not just gonna be me and Phil anymore." She shook her head, "I don't know how I'll be with it. You know some days I-I don't want to get out of bed, some days I don't." She admitted truthfully, "So… with a baby, I don't know, it's starting to worry me." She said.

"It'll feel better once it's here." Matthew said, "And it's not like you're going it alone, right? Phil will be there to help you." He said as AJ nodded, "This whole operation thing is freaking you out, right?" He asked as AJ nodded, holding up a little onesie and smiling at it, "Does Phil know you're worried?"

"Yeah, he does." AJ said, "I'm not trying to make him feel bad for doing it. I… A part of me wants him to do it so Dean will be ok but… he's putting himself through so much." She said, "And I'm worried that things won't be ready in time for the baby coming." She shook her head, "You know I'm worried person." She smiled a little.

"Yeah, I know." Matthew laughed, "So was my sister. It's probably why you both got along. If you didn't have anything to worry about, you'd both find something." He said as AJ smiled, "But you seem to be doing ok, and these doctors know what they're doing, it should be smooth sailing once it's over." He said as AJ nodded.

"And here I thought maybe my parents would come over, not just to see the baby but to… maybe help me, not that they were any good at parenting." She rolled her eyes, "But… they don't respond to anything I send them."

"They always talk about you." Matthew said with confusion, "Dominic too."

"I know Dominic will come visit." AJ nodded positively, "But… I don't know about my parents."

"They seem to be in a good place. Maybe they just don't want to… come back to where things went bad. I felt the same way, so does my parents." He said.

"But I'm having a baby, surely that's a good enough excuse to come see me. They haven't even met Phil yet. That's just… embarrassing." She shook her head.

"No, it's not. You're both busy people so… it's understandable." Matthew said, "Maybe they'll surprise you and come see you."

"I doubt it." AJ shook her head, picking up a few white baby grows.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you found out what you're having?" Matthew asked.

"It would but I want the surprise. I think it's a boy anyway." She shrugged, "Phil does too."

"So I should have the football on standby?" Matthew said as AJ smiled.

"No because the way you and Dominic used to play was way too reckless for my baby. Keep your football to yourself." AJ told him as Matthew smiled and nodded.

"Fair enough." Matthew said, "Let me pay for that." He pointed to the few baby grows and bibs that AJ had picked up with cute little animals on them.

"No way, you paid for dinner." AJ shook her head.

"Because it was my treat. Technically, I'm buying these for the little guy, not you." He said, taking the baby grows from her.

"Hey, just because I think it's a boy doesn't mean everyone is allowed to say the little guy. Could be a little lady." She said.

"Well whoever it is, I wanna buy." He said, taking the items from AJ who just nodded and allowed him to buy the few items for her. It had been nice to catch up with him. He'd almost been like a second brother to her over the years that their families were close and she spent with Sofia, and the way they lost Sofia, it was like they suffered together. The night had cheered her up after a few worrying days.

"Thank you." AJ smiled, taking the bag from him once he paid for them and they walked out of the store, "Well, baby thanks you." She said.

"It's my pleasure." Matthew smiled, "Thanks for letting me take you out. I miss you and the good times we used to have when our families were close." He nodded.

"Yeah." AJ smiled, "I had a nice night. Especially after the few days that I've had." She nodded.

"Try not worry. I know it's easy for me to say but… things will go ok, and you'll be ready for that baby no problem." He said as AJ smiled, "I don't know about your parents but I'll definitely be over to meet the… little person." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Phil?" AJ called as she walked into the house, not even realising how late it was, heading upstairs once she didn't see him anywhere downstairs.

She walked into their bedroom and saw him lying on top of the bed fast asleep. She noticed the plaster on the inside of his arm, no doubt from where he was getting blood taken for tests among many others.

She sighed and took her coat off, walking over to him and cupping his cheek, pressing a kiss on his head before walking off into their bathroom to take a shower.

Punk ended up waking up whilst AJ was in the shower, having not meant to have fallen asleep but being so exhausted that he couldn't help it. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking over at the plastic bag and picking it up, pulling out the baby grows and the bibs as he smiled to himself, but then took into consideration how tiny the baby grows were, wondering if he could even be that delicate and gentle with such a small little person.

He then watched as AJ came out of the bathroom after her shower with a towel wrapped around her.

"Oh… did I wake you?" A wondered sadly.

"No, I just woke up anyway." Punk said, "Baby shopping?" He smiled, holding the baby grows up.

"Yeah, did you not get my text?" AJ asked him.

"No, I was in the hospital all day and then I came home and crashed. What?" Punk said.

"I went to dinner with Matthew. He bought these for me, said it was like a present for the baby." AJ smiled as Punk just nodded slowly, "Sweet, right?" She said.

"Yeah, they're cute." Punk nodded, "So you had a nice night?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I did actually." AJ nodded, "He seems really lonely, you know? He's only here for a few days, and we never got a chance to catch up at the trial so it was nice of him to take me out, right?" She smiled.

"Yeah, real nice." Punk nodded as AJ sensed the sarcasm and tilted her head a little.

"Is there a problem?" She asked him casually, walking around the bed to her side where she put on her shorts and t-shirt which normally acted as her pyjamas.

"No problem." Punk shook his head, "He just… well he didn't have to buy all of this, I'm sure it wasn't cheap."

"Well he wanted to." AJ shrugged, walking back around the bed, placing her hands on her hips, "He also helped me pick furniture for the nursery, it's really nice." She smiled as Punk looked up at her.

"It'd be nice if you'd ask me my opinion." Punk said, not bitterly or nastily, but calmly and softly as AJ just looked at him.

"Well of course I was going to show you." AJ shook her head, "Do you have a problem with Matthew? I'm pretty sure the other day you told me it'd be nice for me to go out and see him."

"Yeah, I did but… I didn't really think he'd start picking out our kids nursery furniture and buying clothes for it." He held the onesies up.

"He's just being nice, Phil." AJ said.

"What for?" Punk wondered.

"Because he's an old friend, that's why. Not everything and everyone has a motive for something. I don't know if that's what being a cop does to you but it's bullshit." She said, "And I know you're not jealous so you can spare me that." She shook her head. She knew he was protective but he wasn't jealous, because he never needed to be.

"I didn't know you were both that close. I thought you were Sofia's best friend, not his."

"Well my brother was his best friend, still is, and our families were always together." AJ said, "He is a close friend, and he's just being nice whilst he's over in Chicago for a few days." She said, "Did they inject you with something at the hospital? Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?" Punk laughed.

"Annoying." AJ said, "Why are you mad I went to dinner with him?"

"Aren't we supposed to be doing that shit? Going for dinner? Picking baby clothes? Picking the furniture for the nursery? Why is he so damn interested?"

"Because he's an old friend, that's why." AJ shook her head, "Would you be acting this way if it was a girl who'd asked me out for dinner?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I would. Don't make it sound like I'm being suspicious. I'm not." Punk made clear, "I just find it shit that I'm at hospital all day getting tests done and you're out having date night with some old friend."

"It wasn't a date night and I told you I would come with you to the hospital if you wanted and you said you didn't want me there all day with you." AJ said, "So what's your problem?" She asked him.

"Oh, nothing." Punk shook his head, too tired to argue anymore, stuffing the onesies back in the bag.

"Don't stuff them like that." AJ snatched the bag from him angrily and took the onesies back out, laying them out on the bed neatly as Punk watched, "Don't take your stress and your anger out on me or these onesies." She said as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm not. I'm not angry." Punk said.

"Then what's wrong with you?" AJ asked him, putting the onesies back in the bag neatly.

"I don't know, April. Maybe seeing my best friend dying in hospital is fucking with me a little." Punk said.

"Ok and that's not my fault. You know I'm here for you. I'm here for you to talk to me." AJ made clear, "You don't have to take it out on me."

"I'm not taking anything out on you." He said, "I just find it weird that this guy, this murderer by the way, don't think I've forgot what he did, is so interested in you taking you to dinner, giving _our_ baby gifts." He said.

"This guy? He's a friend, that's it. You're being paranoid and it doesn't suit you." AJ shook her head, "And don't bring up Greg like that's relevant right now."

"It's relevant when my girlfriend is out with someone capable of murder." Punk nodded, "When is he gone?"

"You're unbelievable." AJ shook her head as Punk just nodded and ran his hand through his messy hair, "Just go sleep downstairs." She said, "I'm not arguing with you over something so damn stupid."

"Fine." Punk nodded, grabbing his pillows and leaving the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him as AJ sighed to herself and sat down on the edge of the bed. She understood how it looked from his point of view, but Matthew really was just a friend and she could see that Punk's anger was stemming from other things. But that didn't mean she could act a punching bag for his thoughts and feelings.


	59. A Date

**A Date**

* * *

AJ could only lie in bed for so long before getting out and heading downstairs. She could never rest easy after fighting with Punk and she really just wanted things to be resolved. She knew things weren't at ease for them at the moment. He was going through everything at the hospital and she was trying to accept that but she was just terrified of the outcome, especially when she was going to be so heavily pregnant throughout it all.

She walked downstairs, opening up the living room door where she saw Punk lying on the couch, resting on one pillow with the other over his face.

She nudged his leg with her knee, folding her arms as he lifted the pillow from his face and looked over at her.

"Can we talk?" AJ asked him tiredly as Punk rubbed his eyes and sat up, giving her space to sit down as he turned to her, "I'm not… apologising. That's not what I came down here for. Honestly I think you should be the one apologising to me." She admitted.

"What'd I do?" Punk shook his head.

"You just snapped at me for no reason other than you're feeling scared and nervous about this whole thing, just like I am." AJ said, "I'm not your punching bag."

"I never said you were and I know you're not." Punk said.

"How about you consider how I'm feeling. Me, pregnant me, who… this has all just been flung on. I've had no say in any of this. I have to watch you go through this operation. In the lead up to us having this baby, where we're supposed to be getting the nursery ready, picking names, getting clothes, getting prepared… I'm gonna be helping you up and down the stairs instead." She said as Punk looked at her, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't want to help your best friend. I know you're loyal and selfless, so I'm not surprised that this is something you're doing… but I'd like you to have a bit more consideration for your pregnant girlfriend who is terrified that something bad will happen to you." She said.

"What? You think I've got no consideration for you throughout all of this?" Punk asked her, "You're my main concern right now. Making sure that you're ok, and you're not stressed or worried-"

"Well I am." AJ shrugged, "I am stressed and I am worried about it. And like I said, I'm not telling you not to do it, I want Dean to get help and get better too, but this is a big thing, it's a big deal. It's not like you're just… giving him some blood. This is a big thing." She said.

"I know it is." Punk said, "And I'm sorry that it's worrying you. It's killing me to know that. I don't want you to worry and I don't want this to affect you, but for me, there's no option. I can't let him wait five months. He'll be dead by then." Punk said as she nodded, "Maybe I've been… a little insensitive and I've not considered how this is for you, and that's wrong of me." He nodded, "But… what makes me feel worse is coming home and seeing you glowing after going out for dinner with some other guy, buying baby clothes, doing all of this without me-"

"Phil." AJ sighed and groaned a little, "He is like my brother. It's nothing like that. I was glowing maybe because my mind was taken off of all of this going on for a little while. And I'm thankful to Matthew for that. He took me out, as a friend, we had a nice conversation, I bought some nice things for our baby, but there's nothing weird going on, the fact you'd think I'd entertain that devastates me." She shook her head.

"I don't think you would, that's not what I'm saying." He sighed, "It's just been a long day." He shook his head.

"And that's not the excuse you should have for snapping with me. I'm terrified right now and the last thing I want is you coming at me like that-"

"April, I didn't come at you." Punk rolled his eyes, "You're being a little dramatic."

"Well you snapped at me then." AJ said, "Whatever you wanna call it." She said, "I know you're worried about this, about Dean, and going through all of this, all of these tests and this assessment, and I don't know… maybe I'm just hormonal and a little more sensitive right now but… try to see where I'm coming from."

"I know. I know it's like you've not had a say in it. And I know you must be terrified, that kills me, and I want it all to be over quickly so we can move on." He said, "I'm sorry." He nodded, realising that perhaps in all his stress, worry and anxiety, he'd used her outing with Matthew to take it out on, "I know Matthew is just a good friend, it's dumb of me to be mad about that… I just wish I could have taken you out for dinner instead." He shrugged.

"You still can." AJ nodded, taking his hand in hers and placing it on her leg, "It's better when we do these things together, right?" She nodded, "I know you're gonna go through this. I know you want to help. But I just need you to keep telling me it's gonna be ok." She smiled a little, "Because my mind starts to wander, and before I know it I'm already trying to figure out how I tell our child how you… weren't even there when it was born-"

"April, c'mon that's not gonna happen." Punk shook his head. To know she was severely worried to this extent hurt him, and he really hadn't considered fully how it was from her point of view, and he felt terrible for having to put her through this but he didn't see it as a choice, "Hey, I'm gonna be there seeing that little Punk being born, don't you worry." He smiled, watching her as she wiped her tears, "April." He sighed, shuffling over closer to her and wrapping his arm around her.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you." She cried softly.

"Nothing is going to happen." Punk sighed, kissing her head softly, "We're gonna get these tests done, same for Dean, and then get the operation done and you'll see everything will be fine. A few weeks of resting on the couch and I'll be back to my normal annoying self. That's the way it's gonna go." He nodded as she snuffled and wiped her tears, "I'm sorry. It's not like I wanna go through this, and I know it's not fair on you or the baby but… I've not got the choice." He said, "Things will be ok. I promise." He said, kissing the side of her head as she nodded.

"I need them to be." She nodded, "Cause I don't know what I'm doing with this baby on my own." She looked up at him with a smile.

"We'll be clueless together." He promised, "I'm sorry for taking things out on you. It was a long day and… well I would have much rather have taken you out for dinner and went baby shopping than sit in a hospital all day so… I don't know maybe I was a little jealous."

"You got nothing to be jealous over." AJ shook her head, "I'm always gonna be yours." She said, tucking a strand of his loose hair behind his ear. She preferred it when it had come undone from being slicked back.

"I love you." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"I love you too." She said, pressing her lips against his softly, giving him a few soft kisses before standing up and tugging on his hand, "C'mon, bring your pillows back upstairs." She smiled as he nodded with a smile, taking his pillows and following her out of the living room to go back upstairs.

* * *

"How is everything looking?" Punk asked, a few days later at the hospital again for more tests, AJ sitting beside him quietly, sitting in on the consultation. They'd spent the past few days with together just themselves. He realised how much she was really worried about it all and figured she just needed more reassurance. He was back at the hospital for his appointment to get the rest of the tests done whilst they started doing some with Dean to prep them both.

"Good." Lenny nodded, "You're a healthy guy, what can I tell you?" He smiled as Punk nodded, "I have a date for the operation. Three weeks on Friday at 9am. If everything goes to schedule with Dean and his tests then… that's when it's gonna happen." He said as Punk nodded and turned to AJ who just nodded to him.

"Right." Punk said, "Yeah, the sooner the better." Punk nodded, "How is Dean doing? I was gonna go see him after I get finished up here." He nodded.

"He's ok for now." Lenny said, "But he's lucky that you're giving him this transplant. I'm not sure that he would have… made it to five months. It's so important that once he goes through this operation, he really gets the right follow up treatment and rehab. He really… can't drink again. That's just the bottom line." He said as Punk nodded.

"Maybe if the state's rehabilitation programmes weren't so broken, he'd have gotten a better chance." Punk said as Lenny nodded.

"I understand your frustration." Lenny said, "So your blood work came back and everything is looking good. Chest x-ray all clear too." He nodded, "I need to just go over some questions, just legal things." He said as Punk nodded, "A lot of signatures for you." He said, gathering the paper work.

"He'll be in hospital for a week, right?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Lenny said, "Given that things go well, he'll be in for a week and then of course still be on strict rest at home for six to eight weeks. Dean will be in here for a little while longer, for obvious reasons." He said as AJ nodded, watching as Punk signed over the papers where he was supposed to.

"Ok, that's all the signatures." Punk slid the papers across.

"Ok, it's my legal obligation to make sure you understand the nature and the risks involved to you in donating part of your liver which may result in complications and a very small risk of death." He said as Punk nodded.

"Mhm." Punk said as AJ felt her shoulders grow tight and her palms sweaty.

"You understand the recipient may have complications which may even lead to death." Lenny said, reading from a script in front of him of course.

"Yeah." Punk said.

"You understand that you are entitled to withdraw your consent at any time before your operation." Lenny said as Punk nodded.

"How long will his scar be?" AJ asked curiously.

"In most cases it heals quickly, leaving a fine scar, which fades in time, if a wound infection it may leave a more marked scar." He said, "But nothing frightening." He assured her as AJ nodded, "You'll be taken into hospital two days before the operation, just to make sure your blood and blood pressure are all ok." He said, "I'm gonna give you this little information guide, tells you everything you should bring with you, the process of the operation and all about the post-op recovery." He said, handing Punk the little guide over as he took it and nodded.

"What's the success rate of this?" AJ asked.

"It's about ninety percent." Lenny smiled to her as AJ nodded. It was a very high number that put her at ease, but of course she still felt there could have been a chance for something to go wrong. She knew she'd be worried up until she had her boyfriend home and recovering from the operation.

"So… how many more tests we gotta get done then?" Punk asked him as Lenny smiled.

"Just a few more. Same for Dean." Lenny smiled, "It'll be over before you know it." He nodded to AJ who just nodded, squeezing Punk's hand as he nodded to her with assurance.


	60. Similarities

**Similarities**

* * *

"How long has that been?" Lia asked, sitting with AJ in the hospital canteen sharing some fries whilst time seemed to have been standing still since the guys had been taken in for their operation.

"Almost three hours." AJ sighed to herself as she looked at her phone.

The three weeks had flew in. After Punk and Dean had the appropriate tests, the day had finally come for their operation and they had been taken down to surgery early on in the morning. AJ and Lia were beside themselves and were planning to wait in the cafeteria for any update and news as soon as the surgery was over.

AJ was six, almost seven months along in her pregnancy, and whilst she was still very nervous about Punk and of course Dean too, going through the operation, a lot of baby stress had been lifted from her shoulders as Punk had spent the past three weeks working on the nursery, to the point where it was actually almost complete besides a few little extras being placed in. He wanted to work on it to take his mind off it but to also take a little bit of stress off of them when he got out of the hospital.

"Do you think they'll both be awake tonight?" Lia asked curiously.

"Maybe later on." AJ nodded, "Depends when they get finished up. They'll probably both be out of it." AJ said as Lia nodded.

"He's so lucky to have a friend like Phil." Lia shook her head, "And good people at work who can… look by all of this." She said, "He could have lost everything. He could have lost his life." Lia said.

"Well he's not gonna." AJ said, "You don't need to think like that. They're both gonna get out and be ok." She nodded. It had been a hard and frightening three weeks following up to the operation, but Punk had really been assuring her and she felt the support also from the hospital staff which was a good thing.

"Just can't believe it had to come down to this." Lia shook her head, "Feel like I let him down." She admitted.

"No, you didn't. Addicts can just slip a tiny bit and it ends up causing them everything. And there's no help out there in terms of good rehab, not really." AJ said as Lia nodded.

"Phil must have a lot of strength." Lia said.

"He's nervous." AJ said, "I can tell when he is. He goes quiet, doesn't really say much. But it's Phil. He puts his family, his friends before anyone else. Those that mean the most to him." She said.

"How is Cami?" Lia asked, "I know it's been difficult for her and Seth after… after the baby."

"Yeah, she's doing ok. Same with Seth." AJ said, "I spoke to her yesterday. She's just trying to get past the whole thought process that… you know, she's got a baby out there. She said Seth's been great, spending a lot of time with her, so I guess they're helping each other out." She said, "I told her I'd give her a call when the surgery is over. She'll probably come by and see Phil tomorrow." She said as Lia nodded.

"I feel like the minutes are hours." Lia shook her head. It was torture just sitting there, knowing that both their significant others were going through such major surgery, and they had no clue how it was going, if it was going well or not.

"We should really go for a walk or something." AJ said, "It's a nice day. And I need exercise and sun." She said, "Not fries and soda." She rolled her eyes as Lia smiled.

"My big craving with Eva was sugar snap peas. I have no idea why." She said as AJ smiled.

"I've not really had any big cravings." AJ admitted, "All I've got is a swollen face and a lot of anxiety." She shook her head as Lia smiled.

"I think you look great. You've got a nice glow." Lia smiled.

"Phil keeps saying that but I thought he was just trying to be nice." AJ said.

"No, you do." Lia smiled, "You're gonna wish you were still pregnant once the baby is actually here and screaming down the house at 3am. Just wait." Lia nodded.

"Can't wait." AJ said, taking a deep breath and looking at her phone clock again and sighed.

"Alright." Lia nodded, finishing her soda, "You're right. We can't sit here for another six hours. Let's go get some fresh air and go for a walk." She stood up as AJ nodded. They had to go take their mind off of things to help the time fly in.

* * *

Later that night, AJ and Lia got a phone call to let them know Punk and Dean were both out of surgery and in the intensive care unit in separate rooms. The doctor and surgeon who had undertaken the surgery, Lenny, told them everything had gone well and both Punk and Dean were stable in their rooms.

AJ and Lia split up into the respective rooms, and it broke AJ's heart when she saw Punk lying in the room, still with tubes down his mouth from the surgery, looking so pale and small in the dim room.

AJ walked further into the room, sitting her bag down and sitting on the chair beside the bed, reaching her hand out and taking his in hers softly, watching as a local nurse walked in to check on things.

"Excuse me, do you know when he'll wake up?" AJ asked.

"Later on tonight probably." The nurse nodded, "And even then, he'll be really out of it from the anaesthesia." She said as AJ nodded, "You can still talk to him though. His brain will be listening." She smiled as AJ nodded.

"Thank you." AJ smiled as the nurse nodded and walked off out of the room.

AJ then turned to Punk, listening as the tubes made inhaling and exhaling noises, frowning as she'd never saw him this hurt or fragile before. He was normally the one taking charge and taking care of her, so she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"This day has lasted forever, I swear." AJ spoke to him, still holding his hand softly in hers, "But I'm so glad it's over and… and you can wake up soon." She said, "And I can take care of you. Me and little Punk." She smiled, looking down at her tummy, "I can't wait to see you with the baby. You're gonna be so good and I'm… well I'm gonna be clueless." She laughed to herself.

"Lia is so grateful to you for this." AJ nodded, "You're so brave and selfless. I know you… we… well we've never really had a sense of family before, and I guess this is it, and put your family before anything else and I love you so much for that." She nodded, rubbing the top of his hand ever so softly, "This baby is going to adore you." She smiled.

She listened as the door opened behind her again, turning around expecting it to be another nurse or doctor when instead she saw a woman standing, perhaps in her late fifties, a little on the rough side, standing staring at Punk.

"Um… excuse me, can I help you?" AJ asked, wondering if she had perhaps gotten wrong room, "Who-Who are you?"

"Phillips mother." Rianne said, walking further into the room and closing the door over as AJ raised her eyebrows and watched her dump her bag down and take a seat opposite side of the bed. As far as she knew, Phil and his mother didn't get on, and any time they were in a room together, it ended badly. She also knew that his mother had hardly taken care of him or Cami when they were little, so she was confused as to why she was here.

"Why are you here?" AJ asked bluntly, not feeling bad in doing so as she couldn't understand why this woman was now showing interest. She'd heard all the stories, about her spending money on drink and drugs whilst Punk and Cami barely had enough clothes on their back. She knew what this woman was like as a mother, and found it very hypocritical that she was even showing her face around her. And also, this was the first time they'd even met and she didn't even look interested in her.

"Camila told me he was in surgery so I just wanted to make sure everything was ok." Rianne nodded. AJ knew that Cami kept in touch with her mother, for what reason she wasn't sure of, but Punk sure as hell didn't.

"Well he is, if that's all you're interested in." AJ said as Rianne looked at her.

"Camila said you were fiery." Rianne nodded, "Phil didn't think to tell me I had a grandchild on the way?" She asked.

"Well you don't care about him, why would you care about this baby?" AJ asked. She could already understand why Punk found it hard to talk accordingly to her. She was trying to judge the woman, but even just the way she presented herself was rubbing her the wrong way.

"I care about my son. He's just difficult." Rianne said, "You'll come to realise, trust me."

"He's not difficult. He just had to raise himself and his sister, and trust me, I know what that feels like and it sucks. You weren't there for him, he has every right to resent you and want nothing to do with you." AJ said.

"Do you know what you're having?" Rianne asked, completely ignoring the last comment.

"No." AJ said.

"You're having a girl." Rianne nodded, "You've got a puffy face."

"Thanks very much." AJ shook her head.

"It's a good thing." Rianne said, "How long will he be in here for?"

"They say about a week." AJ said as Rianne nodded.

"He's always been a strong person, I'll give him that." Rianne said as AJ just shook her head. She couldn't understand for the life of her why this woman was here, pretending like things were fine when she knew that her and Phil had very much no relationship.

"How would you have any clue about what kind of person he is?" AJ asked. She wasn't going easy on this woman. She knew all the stories Phil had told her. The way she treated him and Cami over the years. How she pretty much pretended they didn't exist.

"I know my son." Rianne said bluntly, "He's never told you about my illness, has he?" She smiled a little as AJ looked across at her.

"What illness?" AJ asked.

"Same as you." Rianne said, "I'm bipolar." She nodded as AJ looked across at her, "I still don't really understand it, if I'm being honest. I thought Phil hated me all this time because of it. Because he didn't understand it yet… my daughter tells me how in love he is with you, you're having a baby… and you have the same illness." Rianne said, "So maybe he just hates me."

"He hates you because you abandoned him his entire life, and his sister." AJ said, "It's nothing to do with you being bipolar or not being bipolar. Don't think because we share an illness it means I can sympathise with you. I would never abandon my baby." She shook her head, still holding Punk's hand as Rianne nodded.

"You won't know what's hit you when that baby comes. We're not cut out to be mothers. Bipolar disorder doesn't stop for nothing, certainly not babies." Rianne said, "Maybe once that baby is here, you'll understand my struggles a little more." She nodded.

"No. Quite frankly I don't want you anywhere near me, and I can speak on behalf of Phil too." AJ said as Rianne nodded and stood up.

"I knew you'd say that. I just wanted to make sure he was breathing at least. I came right away so he didn't have to tell me to leave." She said, putting her bag over her shoulder as AJ looked at her, "Good luck with the baby. I almost drowned Phil when he was a kid because of my illness." She said as AJ looked at her, "I'm just saying." She said smugly, walking by the bed and walking out of the room as AJ watched her, turning around to Punk and sighing to herself.

If her intention was to worry her even more about becoming a mother, then she'd definitely done her job right.


	61. Lodgers

**Lodgers**

* * *

AJ sat in Punk's room for the remainder of the night just watching him as he lay in the bed. She was trying so hard to dismiss the comments his mother had made towards her. In a way, she almost reminded her of her own mother. She wondered why he had never told her about his mother being bipolar. He didn't talk about her often enough she supposed, but she thought it would have come up in conversation. However, there was a difference between being bipolar and being rude and sly, which was exactly what his mother was.

It was late on before Punk finally opened his eyes slowly. Like assumed, he wasn't really aware of where he was or what was going on, still being drugged out. She got a doctor right away who took the tubes out for Punk so he could fully come around a little better.

"Hey, Phil. How you doing?" Lenny asked, coming to see Punk who was staying quiet, lying in bed still hooked up to the machinery whilst AJ sat beside still holding his hand, "It's ok to feel a little spaced out, you've had a lot of drugs, but it'll fade off." Lenny nodded, "The operation went well. For you and Dean. He's not woke yet but he should soon." He nodded as Punk just looked at him, his eyes rolling around the room as he tried to get his senses, but he was still completely out of it.

"Should he be this spaced out?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, this is totally normally." Lenny said, "Can I talk to you outside?" He asked her.

"Yeah, sure." AJ nodded, turning to Punk, "I'll come back in, ok?" She said, rubbing his hand before standing up and walking off with Lenny out of the room.

"So I'm really pleased for both of them that the operation went well. If things go to plan, Phil should be out of here within five to seven days. Dean maybe a few days extra." He said as AJ nodded, "He might be a little out of it for the rest of the night, and he might fall back asleep but that's normal after what he's gone through. Tomorrow morning he should be brighter."

"Ok." AJ said, "So everything went well then?" AJ asked, needing to hear it again.

"Everything went well." Lenny smiled, "You can breathe." He nodded as AJ smiled and took a deep breath, "The big part is over. Now it's the recovery, which can be just as difficult. When he does get home, he needs to be on strict rest. And you need to be strict with him. Just because he feels fine doesn't mean he is. He needs to be resting up for most of the day. I'll also show you the ways in which his bandages need to be wrapped… I'll show him too but I assume you'll be the one looking after him." He said.

"Yeah, I will be." AJ nodded.

"As long as he rests and is patient with the recovery, then it should be smooth enough." Lenny said, "And the same goes for Dean, only of course he'll need maybe a little more psychological help with some rehab and therapy, which we'll make sure he gets." Lenny said.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Thank you so much for everything. You've been great with us. Really." AJ said.

"Hey, it's my job." Lenny nodded, "I'll see Phil and Dean once every week throughout the recovery just to keep a check on things and make sure everything is healing the way it's supposed to." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, great." AJ said, "I uh… I won't be staying long, I'll go and let him get some rest, I just wanted to be there when he woke up." She said.

"Take all the time you need with him. Even if he is a little out of it, it's important you still talk to him." He said, "I gotta shoot, I have full confidence in the nurses in this ward taking care of them both. They're excellent."

"Yeah, they've already been great." AJ nodded, "Thank you." She said as Lenny nodded to her and rushed off down the corridor.

AJ returned back into the room where Punk was still lying with his eyes opened, looking around the room.

"Hey." AJ smiled quietly and softly, walking back over to the bed, taking a seat beside it again and taking his hand, "It's all done now. The hard part." She smiled, "You and Dean are going to be ok." She smiled and nodded as Punk just nodded. There was no way she was going to tell him about his mother coming, not even after he had come round, he didn't need it right now, but she definitely needed to talk to someone about it.

* * *

"You sure it wasn't mom just being mom?" Camila asked, standing in the kitchen with AJ later that night. Once AJ spent some time with Punk as he woke up, she eventually left as she saw Punk was starting to fall asleep again. He wasn't saying much, barely anything, and supposed she'd get to talk more to him in the morning, she just wanted to be there for him when he woke up.

"Well this was the first time I've met the woman." AJ said, "Why wouldn't Phil tell me she's bipolar?" AJ asked.

"I wouldn't take it personally, Phil doesn't talk about mom period." Cami said, "I know my mom was a terrible mom. She wasn't a mom but I guess she wasn't as bad to me as she was Phil." She shrugged.

"She said she tried to… tried to drown him when he was a kid." AJ said, "She was trying to scare me and it worked." She folded her arms and shook her head. Everything Rianne had said to her had terrified her.

"Yeah, she did." Cami said, "He was really little though and she was really sick." She said, "Don't let her get in your head. Odds are she won't show her face when Phil is conscious enough to speak to her, that's probably why she went when he was still out of it." She said, "She wasn't medicated or diagnosed back then, you are. Honestly, don't worry about the things my mom says." Cami laughed a little.

"Why would she want to do that, though?" AJ asked, "It was clear she was trying to get into my head."

"She can be like that. It's why Phil doesn't talk to her. There's not a relationship there, there never will be and she knows that." Cami nodded, "I think she's confused that… she's bipolar and Phil never cared about her, she thinks that he hates her because of her illness, and then there's you who Phil loves and you're having a baby, and it's the same illness."

"But we're not the same damn people just because we have the same illness." AJ said, horrified, "I think her problems are beyond her bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder doesn't make you drink and do drugs, or abandon your children. Not if your medicated and you're getting help-"

"Well when Phil was growing up she wasn't, and he had to deal with that." Cami said as AJ sighed. She shared more things in common with her boyfriend than she thought.

"If she's medicated now than why is she still being a bitch then? He was only a few hours out of surgery and she was there, coming at me."

"She won't see it that way though." Cami said, "She lives in a different world. I've learned to ignore all of that." She shrugged, "Look, there are more things to worry about than my mom, trust me. She knows Phil will never have a relationship with her and she's probably just preyed on you in a way to get to him." She nodded, "Ignore her and do not let her scare you."

"I thought my mom was bad." AJ rolled her eyes as Cami smiled.

"How was he when you left?" Cami asked.

"Ok. Just out of it I suppose. Wasn't really saying much." She said, "Hopefully tomorrow he'll come around. Dean was the same." She nodded.

"I'll need to see him tomorrow." Cami nodded.

"Do you think I should tell him about his mom? Obviously when he's came around more?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't. I mean what's the point? He'd just get worked up and that's what she likes. I wouldn't say anything. Maybe in a year." Cami said as AJ smiled and laughed a little, "Let him focus on himself and getting better." She said as AJ nodded, agreeing with Cami that his mother was irrelevant at the minute, even though the visit from her had still confused her and quite frankly scared her.

"How have you been? Seth been still coming around?" AJ asked.

"Yeah he has. I'm ok." Cami nodded, "Every day feels a little better. The first week was tough. I really felt like… like something was missing from me. Being pregnant for all that time and then… not having anything." She shook her head, "It was strange." She nodded, "But I'm ok. And Seth has been around almost every night."

"Mhm?" AJ smiled to her.

"No, nothing like that." Cami assured her, "He's a friend. We watch movies and eat pizza." She shrugged, "It's nice. I've never really had a friend, not a good one anyway."

"Uh… what am I?" AJ laughed.

"No, you're like my sister in law." Cami smiled as AJ nodded.

"Fair enough." AJ smiled.

"I know I'm gonna have plenty of aunt time with my niece or nephew, and I know that will take my mind off of things too." Cami said as AJ nodded.

"Oh, your mom also told me it's a girl because my face is puffy." AJ said, "She's a real charmer."

"Your face is puffy." Cami pointed out.

"I know it is." AJ sighed.

"No, but it's nice. It's giving you a glow." Cami smiled, "You still don't know if your parents are gonna come over when you have the baby?"

"Well they don't speak to me or return my calls. I ask Dominic why and he says they've been busy but… I mean… they've been busy for a full year?" AJ shook her head, "I don't know. Maybe I don't even want them here at this point." She shrugged.

"Don't be like that." Cami said, "If they're here then great, if not then it's their loss. They're never gonna see their first grandchild being born again so… it's on them." Cami nodded, "At least this surgery is over and it went well. Now they just need to focus on their recovery." She said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I felt like today dragged in." AJ sighed, "I can't wait to actually have a proper conversation with him tomorrow." She nodded.

"Well I'll come by in the afternoon to see him for a little while." Cami said, "I'm sure Seth will wanna see him and Dean too so I might bring him with me." She nodded.

"He'll be glad to see you." AJ smiled, "I should probably get home and get some sleep." She said as Cami smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you remember to focus on yourself too and not just Phil. He's not carrying another little person." She said as AJ smiled.

"I know I remind him all the time." AJ laughed a little.

"And hey, honestly… forget everything my mom said. She really does live on a different planet."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I can see that."

* * *

AJ drove home to her and Punk's house after spending the remainder of the night with Cami. She felt better talking to her about Rianne and what she had said, and could now look forward to going for a well-deserved sleep.

She got out of the car, closing the door over and turning around as she saw Dominic and Matthew sitting outside her house on the step.

"Why are you both here?" AJ asked tiredly.

"Nice to see you too little sister." Dominic laughed a little and stood up from the step, throwing the cigarette down on the ground.

"Don't throw that shit outside my house." AJ spat, "Pick it up and throw it down the street." AJ told him seriously as Dominic rolled his eyes, picking it back up and walking out of the house area and throwing it out of sight.

"Still got you by the balls." Matthew chuckled to Dominic who shoved him whilst AJ stood tiredly.

"What do you guys want? I'm tired and I wanna go to bed." AJ said.

"I came over to see how Phil was." Dominic said, "And Matthew came along for the ride." He said as Mathew just smiled to AJ and nodded, "But-"

"But you need a place to stay?" AJ asked them both, "One of you can take the spare room, the other the couch but… only for the week because when Phil gets home I don't want you guys around." She told them, walking by them both and unlocking the door.

"How is he?" Dominic asked. He really did like Punk and was glad that his sister had found someone she cared about and who cared about her also. It was important as her older brother.

"He's good. Surgery went well and he was just coming around tonight so hopefully he'll be better tomorrow." AJ nodded, walking into the house as they both followed in, "It's been the longest day ever." She said, "But it's nice that you came here to see him. He'll like that. I like it." She smiled to her brother, giving him a hug as he hugged her back.

"Well it's common courtesy isn't it?" Dominic shrugged, "I like Phil. He's a good guy." He said as AJ smiled, "How is the baby?"

"Fine." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, you're really getting big now. How far along are you?" Matthew asked her.

"Six and a half months." AJ said, "I can't believe I'm gonna get bigger." AJ admitted truthfully.

"You look good." Matthew smiled as AJ just nodded and smiled back.

"I don't wanna be rude but I do really wanna go to bed so… as long as you both keep it down, do whatever, help yourself to food, order in, just… keep it down." She nodded to them.

"No problem." Dominic said, "Have a good sleep." He said as AJ smiled and walked off to go upstairs. Dominic really had taken a flight out to see how Punk was doing. AJ had told him on the phone about the operation and so he thought he would come out to see how it went and how things were going. Matthew decided to come along too.

"I'm uh… I'm gonna use the bathroom, where is it again?" Matthew asked Dominic who had planked himself on the couch and turned the TV on.

"Upstairs somewhere." Dominic said.

"Helpful." Matthew said, walking out of the living room and walking upstairs, turning around the stair post and looking in the doors for the bathroom, "Hey, April, which is the bathroom?" He called out.

"Give me a minute." AJ called out as Matthew turned around to the door which her voice came from, looking at her through the gap as she changed into shorts and a t-shirt. He shook his head and turned away, "Just use the one in here." AJ said, walking out of the bedroom, "We have problems with the main one sometimes." She told him.

"Ok." Matthew said, walking by her into the bedroom and into the bathroom.

"Hey, I'll show you the nursery when you get out." AJ said, "It's pretty much finished." She said.

"Oh, really?" Matthew called from the toilet, finishing up and washing his hands before coming back out.

"Yeah, Phil worked on it over the past few weeks." AJ said, walking out of the bedroom and into the nursery where Matthew followed behind, walking on in at the finished nursery which really was adorable.

"Hey, you went with this furniture." Matthew noticed.

"Yeah, it really goes with the room." AJ smiled, "I really like it. I think it's sweet." She nodded, "Phil done everything. I think it took his mind off of this surgery."

"Well he done a damn good job." Matthew smiled, "You're just missing a baby now." He laughed a little as AJ smiled.

"Well I'm still working on that." AJ nodded as Matthew smiled, "I didn't think you'd be back over with Dominic."

"Yeah well he asked me and I thought why not? I enjoyed seeing everyone, old faces, you, the last time I came and… I forgot how much I loved Chicago, after Sofia it became a bad memory but… it has it's perks." He nodded.

"It does." AJ smiled, "Well like I said, you're both welcome for the week but… I kinda want Phil to come home to peace and quiet, you know?"

"Of course, yeah. We're not here for long anyway." Matthew said as AJ nodded, "I'll uh… I'll let you get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"I am." AJ nodded, "I'll see you in the morning." She nodded pleasantly, walking out of the nursery with him and into her bedroom, closing the door over as Matthew walked back downstairs.


	62. More To It

**More To It**

* * *

AJ woke up the next morning fairly early. She took a shower and got ready, heading downstairs where her brother and Matthew were making breakfast. She could remember as a little girl all the family gatherings they would have with both their families. BBQs in the Summer, breakfasts, birthday parties. It brought it all back when she saw Matthew and Dominic together.

"Morning." AJ nodded to them both, walking over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

"I uh… I made you coffee, pancakes and bacon." Matthew said as AJ turned around and smiled nervously, "What?" He said.

"No nothing." AJ shook her head, "I uh… Well I'm trying to cut back on caffeine and red meat… for the baby." She said as Matthew nodded.

"Right." Matthew nodded.

"But I will eat the pancakes." She smiled, "Thank you." She nodded.

"More bacon for me." Dominic smiled, reaching over her and grabbing the pieces of bacon from the plate, "When are you going to see Phil?"

"Just now." AJ said, "And then Phil's sister is going to visit him this afternoon so… maybe you could come by tonight and see him." AJ nodded to her brother.

"Yeah, sure. Whenever is fine. Is he still in ICU?" Dominic asked, sitting down at the kitchen table, opening up the paper.

"Yeah, he is. I think he'll be there for the first two days at least before moving into a normal room." She said.

"Does it scare you?" Matthew asked, "I don't know, people in hospital always scared me." He admitted.

"At first it did." AJ nodded, breaking her pancake apart to eat it, "I've never saw him hurt or anything before so it was a shock to see him like that." She said, "But… he'll get strong, and he'll be good as new soon." She smiled to herself as Matthew nodded, "Are you gonna come see him?" AJ wondered.

"Oh, no I'll just stay here or go out for a few hours. I don't know him." Matthew laughed a little as AJ just nodded slowly.

"Give me a text then." Dominic told his sister, "I assume you'll be there all day."

"Yeah, well for most of it." AJ nodded, "I will text or call when I get a chance." AJ said, "Thank you for the breakfast." She smiled to Matthew who just nodded, "I gotta go." She nodded, grabbing her bag and quickly leaving the kitchen with half a pancake in her hand.

"She really cares about this guy." Matthew raised his eyebrows as Dominic turned to him.

"Well I'd like to think so. They're having a baby." Dominic laughed.

"I know but I remember your sister always being so… shy and awkward." Matthew laughed a little.

"When she was sixteen?" Dominic made a face, "It's almost like she's… grew up." He said sarcastically as Matthew threw a kitchen towel at him.

"You know what I mean." Matthew said, "She was always just interested in her career. She never ever had boyfriends."

"Well this is her first and he's turning out pretty well so… I'd say she did a good job at choosing." Dominic said, "He's good to her. Which is all I care about. And I like him. He's not like a typical cop."

"Well no, not all cops cover up murders." Matthew said, "I owe the guy a lot and I don't even know him."

"He probably wasn't doing it for you, no offence. I'd say he was doing it for AJ." Dominic said.

"Yeah, probably." Matthew said, "I don't know, it's just weird. Seeing your sister with someone, having a baby… I didn't expect it from her."

"Well there you go." Dominic hummed, reading the paper whilst Matthew nodded, turning around to make more food.

* * *

AJ got to the hospital and headed to the intensive care unit where she knew Punk was being held, walking on into the room he was in the previous night and smiling as she saw him sitting up, still propped against pillows and very much bed bound, but with the most gigantic smile on his face.

"Hey." AJ laughed a little at how ok he looked.

"Hey." Punk nodded to her.

"How are you?" AJ smiled, sitting her bag down leaning over and giving him a soft kiss, stroking his cheek gently as he just nodded.

"I'm ok." Punk said, "How are you?" He asked her.

"I'm ok." AJ nodded with a smile, "Did you sleep through the night?" AJ asked him. She could see he was still up to eyeballs in pain medication, but he wasn't as out of it as he was last night when he'd just woke up.

"Most of it. Woke pretty early." Punk said, his voice a little croaky from the tubes that had been down, "Lenny spoke to me. Said it went well and Dean is awake too."

"Yeah." AJ smiled, taking his hand in hers, "Yeah it went according to plan and Dean is good, I saw him last night before leaving. You're both gonna be ok." She said as he nodded, "How's the pain?" She hated to ask.

"Not that bad." Punk admitted.

"Yeah? You should see what they're giving you to deal with it." AJ said as Punk rolled his eyes, "Have you got a lot of bandages on?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"Lenny said he's gonna show us both before we go how to properly wrap them up." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Won't be long until you're home, baby." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"How long until I can just go to a normal room?" Punk wondered, "I have a nurse coming in every half hour to check on me." He shook his head.

"You've just had major surgery." AJ laughed at his calmness, "They need to keep a check on you." She smiled, stroking the top of his hand with the pad of her thumb softly.

"How is little Punk?" He asked her, reaching his hand a little further and placing it on her bump as she smiled.

"Little Punk is fine." AJ smiled as he nodded, "Cami is gonna come see you in the afternoon and my brother has come over to see you." AJ said.

"Since when was I an attraction?" Punk shook his head as AJ scoffed.

"People just care, Phil. It's nice." AJ said.

"You putting your brother up?" Punk asked.

"Yeah and Matthew." AJ said, "They're both here." She said as Punk just nodded, "But they'll be gone by the time you're out of here so it's fine." She smiled to him.

"You don't have to throw them out just because I'm coming home. I mean… I'm sure neither of them are taking up my space in bed." He said as AJ smiled, "So we're fine." He shrugged, "Do you know how long I'll be in here for? I forgot to ask Lenny." Punk said.

"One or two days, depending on how things are with you." AJ said, "Then you'll just get moved to a normal room." She nodded.

"You've not been stressing, have you?" Punk asked her.

"Trying my best not to." AJ smiled, "Yesterday was tough." She nodded, "It just dragged in. Getting that call to let me know you were out and things went well was… biggest relief of my entire life." She said as he smiled.

"Well I'm fine so… you can relax now." Punk nodded quietly.

"I'll relax when you're home. I think the concept of being in hospital just makes people worry naturally anyway." She said.

"Ah yes, home where you can be my nurse." Punk nodded, "Maybe you should get your brother and Matthew to leave." He smiled as AJ laughed a little.

"And maybe you're still drugged up to your eyeballs." She laughed as he just smiled. She could see he was clearly on very strong medication, but it was so good to see him more awake and to hear his voice after all the worry and stress the surgery had brought on her.

* * *

AJ stayed with Punk for most of the day whilst Cami and then her brother came in to see him. They didn't stay for long as they could see Punk was very tired. Cami came during the afternoon and Dominic came later on. Punk, although doped up on drugs, appreciated the visits from everyone, as well as Lia who had come from Dean's room to see how Punk was doing.

AJ eventually said goodbye to Punk, of course telling him she'd come by early in the morning to see him, and left to go home after a long day. She felt a little more upbeat after being able to speak to him properly. She'd also got the chance to see Dean and he was doing well too.

She got into the house, dumping her bag down at the bottom of the stairs and walking through to the kitchen, massaging her neck whilst she was walking down, seeing Matthew sitting at the kitchen table on his own.

"Hey, where is Dominic?" AJ asked him.

"He's gone to get pizza. He said he'd get extra if you wanna stick around for some." Matthew said.

"I might actually, I'm pretty hungry." AJ admitted.

"He said Phil was doing ok. Seemed pretty upbeat for just having had surgery." Matthew said.

"Yeah, he is." AJ smiled, "He's doing really well. They both are. He should be getting moved tomorrow or the next day to just a normal room." She nodded, "I know he appreciated Dominic coming to see him. I like that they get on, you know?" AJ smiled.

"Yeah, I bet." Matthew said, "How'd you even get to know Phil?" He asked her.

"Oh, I've known him for years. Being a lawyer I cross in and out of the station a lot. He was always there. One of the cops who gave me a lot of slack for being a defence lawyer." AJ shrugged, "But when Sofia's case was reopened we got closer, I got to know him more and he got to know me. First guy I… I ever really trusted." She said as Matthew nodded.

"I just never thought I'd see you… settling down." Mathew shook his head.

"You and me both." AJ nodded, "I was so sure I didn't want anything to do with guys. Well, I didn't want a relationship." She rephrased, "But he changed that. It's different. And we're so alike. Same upbringing, same kinda problems." She said.

"Match made in heaven." Matthew nodded to her, "Wedding bells soon then?" He asked her.

"Well… I wanna get this baby thing going first before any of that." She laughed a little, "I… I really don't know what I'm gonna be like as a mom. I don't exactly have a good role model in my own mom to look up to."

"You'll be fine." Matthew said, "You were like a mom to your entire family. I remember coming over and you'd be the one packing you and Dominic's lunch." He laughed a little as AJ smiled, realising that she had been quite maternal in the past without realising it, "You're all set." He nodded as AJ smiled.

"So what about you?" AJ asked him, "What's going on in Puerto Rico? No girlfriend?" She asked him.

"No. Nothing ever lasted long enough." Matthew shrugged, "I always thought we were compatible there but… well you've gone and found yourself the right guy so-"

"Hey, you never know. It might happen unexpectedly." She smiled.

"You reckon Sofia would have liked him? Phil?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, I think so." AJ nodded, "She would have been shocked like the rest of my family and your family but… I think they would have got on." She smiled.

"Do you ever think about… what would have happened if… if me and you… you know." He nodded as AJ looked at him and made a face.

"If we what?" AJ shook her head.

"if we made something out of… out of that night." Matthew said as AJ looked at him.

"That was… that was just as friends-"

"I'm pretty sure just friends don't do that." Matthew said.

"Why are you bringing this up?" AJ shook her head, "I was a kid, we were kids… it was my… my first time, it was just us being stupid. It never affected our friendship." She shook her head.

"I know it didn't but… well, I'm supposed to act like you're this little sister type figure to me but… it's weird." Matthew said.

"Matthew, we were just kids being dumb. I wanted my first time to be with someone I trusted, someone who knew me and that was you. We agreed that it even felt kinda weird." She said.

"Did we?" Matthew shook his head.

"Yeah." AJ shook her head, "Why are you saying this to me?" She asked him just as Dominic came through the door with pizza.

"I got pizza!" Dominic called from the front door as AJ looked over at Matthew, "April there is tons, you better eat some too." He said, walking into the kitchen and dumping the pizza boxes down on the island of the kitchen.

"I'm actually not that hungry." AJ shook her head, walking by her brother and leaving the kitchen.

"What's wrong with her?" Dominic asked Matthew who just shrugged whilst AJ headed upstairs.


	63. Blunt

**Blunt**

* * *

"If you feel uncomfortable, tell him." Cami shook her head the next night, sitting in her apartment with AJ. AJ had spent the full day at the hospital again with Punk, and out of not wanting to return home due to the uncomfortable position Matthew had put her in, she had gone to Cami and explained to her what had happened.

"I just don't know what he's getting at though." AJ shook her head.

"Was there ever any feelings there?" Cami asked her, sitting facing her on the couch as AJ shook her head.

"Certainly not on my end." AJ said, "We were close friends and… I thought it'd be smart to have my first time with someone who I actually knew and trusted, to kind of… I don't know, break down that barrier and not feel nervous." She said.

"Well that sounds better than my game plan." Cami nodded as AJ looked at her, "I just slept with some random guy twice my age." She shrugged as AJ nodded, "Did he have feelings for you then?" She shook her head.

"No, not that he said. In fact, the whole thing was kinda weird. It felt so wrong and we both agreed it did." AJ said, "So I have no idea where this is coming from. He knows I'm happy with Phil. Really happy. Why say that to me? And I mean, talk about being a coward, saying it to me when Phil is just out of major surgery."

"Are you gonna tell Phil?" Cami asked.

"I can't tell him now. Maybe when he gets home. I don't want him to be stressed or angry. He needs to focus on getting his strength back and recovering from this surgery." AJ nodded, "I just… I don't know what Matthew is trying to get out of this?"

"He's a guy. What do you think he wants out of it?" Cami laughed as AJ shook her head.

"If he felt that way about me then why is he waiting until now to tell me. I'm… I'm six months pregnant in a happy relationship. Does he just want it to hang over me?" AJ said, rubbing her forehead as Cami looked at her.

"I mean, don't stress over it." Cami said, "Maybe he's jealous. I mean, you said Phil is the first boyfriend you've had, so maybe he's not been used to… knowing you're with someone else." She said as AJ just shook her head.

"I wish he'd just go back to Puerto Rico." AJ admitted truthfully, "I just want to be left alone so I can concentrate on Phil." She shook her head.

"I mean I know you don't want me to say it but… I'd talk to him, tell him straight that you're with Phil and he can't put it on you like that, that's not fair." Cami said.

"I don't want to talk to him after he's saying that." AJ shook her head.

"Well you're gonna have to." Cami said, "And you're right. You should tell Phil when he's home. Let him focus on himself in the hospital just now." She said as AJ nodded.

"I just don't need this right now." AJ shook her head, "I mean I guess it explains him being so nice to me but he's always been like that. He was always a nice person. I know he is. But we never had anything. Well I didn't think we did." AJ sighed.

"Talk to him. Tell him everything you've said to me. Maybe he'll get the point and back off. Well, he better." Cami said, "Does your brother know about the two of you?"

"No." AJ scoffed, "He'd kill Matthew." She said as Cami nodded, "Can't I just stay here tonight?" She frowned.

"Hey, stay if you want." Cami smiled, "But… you should talk to him. Be blunt." She nodded as AJ sighed and nodded. She knew she had to clear this up right away before anything went any further. She had no interest in Matthew and it was all news to her that he actually had feelings for her.

* * *

AJ drove home, getting into her house tiredly after another long day at the hospital and another day of her mind spinning with so much going through it.

She dumped her bag down at the bottom of the stairs like always and walked on through to the kitchen where she saw Matthew sitting at the table.

"Where is my brother?" AJ asked him, walking to the fridge and taking water out, not looking him in the eye yet.

"Asleep upstairs." Matthew told her as AJ turned around to look at him, "April let me explain-"

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, you let me explain." AJ told him as he silenced himself and looked over at her as she stood at the island of the kitchen, sitting her bottled water down and folding her arms, "First of all, I find it not only disrespectful but incredibly cowardly of you to tell me all of this whilst my boyfriend is in an intensive care unit right now." She said as Matthew looked over at her, "Second, what the hell?" AJ shook her head, "I… I asked you all those years ago to spend a night with me because I trusted you. We both agreed before and after that it was kinda weird and we probably shouldn't have done it, but that we wouldn't let it affect our relationship." She said, "So… so now you're telling me that you did have feelings for me?"

"Yeah, well it's not like they've came out of nowhere." Matthew said, "I always kinda liked you growing up, and that night was way more to me than just being friends." He said, "And then my sister died and that kind of… made me not feeling anything for anyone anymore, and we moved back to Puerto Rico, you stayed. Things just felt broken for a long time." He said, "But I always thought about you."

"Why are you telling me this now, Matthew?" AJ shook her head.

"Because now you actually have a boyfriend, a good one which makes this even more annoying. And you're having a baby and I feel like I really missed the opportunity to tell you how I really felt about you." He said, "Jesus I'm not out here to break you up with your boyfriend. I can see you're happy." He said, "And I'm happy for you but… it didn't feel right not telling you."

"What was the reaction you expected from me?" AJ shook her head, "That I'd tell you I have feelings for you? Drop my pants? When my boyfriend is in hospital?" She shook her head.

"No, I expected this." Matthew laughed a little, "The same fiery woman I grew up with being blunt and straight with me." He nodded, "I don't know, maybe I thought you… kinda liked me back then too." He shrugged, "Otherwise, why ask me to be your first?"

"Because I trusted you." AJ said, "Yeah, you're a good looking guy but there was never anything there back then and there's nothing there now." She said, trying to be as clear as possible as Matthew nodded.

"I get it." He held his hands up, "I know it wasn't going to be the outcome I wanted but, I thought I'd be honest." He shrugged.

"What was the outcome you wanted?" AJ shook her head curiously.

"I don't know, maybe… you had feelings to back then, and there was something more to it. I know you're happy right now, I can see you are, but I also know you a lot better than Phil does."

"You think?" AJ asked, "Phil knows me. Yeah, given, you might too but don't act like what we had is anything compared to what I have with him, the father of my baby." She pointed out as Matthew nodded.

"I know." Matthew said, "I know it's not a competition I'm gonna win-"

"It's not a competition." AJ shook her head, "I appreciate you being honest with me, I do. But… why have you waited this long?" She asked.

"Well life hasn't been easy for me in the past few years. I guess seeing you again a few weeks ago… brought the feelings back." He nodded as AJ looked across at him, "AJ, I- The last thing I want is to make you feel uncomfortable. I just… said what I felt. I know you're happy and you're not going to tell me what I'd like to hear and that's fine, but… I just wanted you to know."

"I just… I don't know what I'm supposed to say." AJ shrugged, "My focus right now is on Phil, helping him through this recovery, and then… having a baby. That's my life right now. I can't tell you what you want to hear." AJ shook her head.

"And that's fine." Matthew said, "I like Phil. I… he's a decent person and he's… well he's saved me from a lifetime in prison. I owe him a lot." He admitted truthfully, "And I know you care about him and I'm happy for you for finding this." He nodded as AJ looked across at him, "I didn't want to put you in a weird position."

"I'm not. I just hate feeling like I've done something wrong now." AJ shook her head.

"You've not. You shouldn't feel that way." Matthew said, "Please don't feel like that." He stood up from the table, "I just wanted to be honest with you. That's why I came with Dominic. To let you know that, it did mean something to me, that night we spent." He nodded as AJ ran her hand through her hair.

"To me… it didn't. And you have me feeling bad saying that." AJ said, "I just saw a close friend, making what is usually a weird and uncomfortable situation for people, feel safe and comfortable." She said.

"I'm gglad I made you feel that way." Matthew nodded honestly as AJ paused a little, feeling a strange pain in her stomach, almost like a pressure too. She didn't make a big deal of it, shaking it off and turning back to Matthew, but then it came a lot harder.

"Oh my God." AJ placed her two hands on the counter as Matthew looked over, "Ow." AJ winced out in pain, placing a hand on her stomach as Matthew walked over to her.

"What is it? Is it the baby?" Matthew asked her as AJ nodded.

"I don't know what's happening." AJ shook her head.

"Ok, let's… we should go to the hospital." Matthew nodded worriedly.

* * *

"So I'm not in labour?" AJ asked her nurse, lying up on the bed where she'd just been examined and given a scan. Hearing the baby's heartbeat was a relief, and oddly the tightening pains she was feeling had actually eased off.

"No. Braxton hicks contractions can give a lot of women a scare but… it's perfectly normal. You're not in labour, that baby is still safe and secure in there." The nurse nodded with a smile as AJ nodded with relief, "Go on mama, get some sleep. Panic is over." She nodded, giving AJ a hand off of the bed.

"Thank you." AJ smiled tiredly, walking out of the room where Matthew was sitting waiting, watching him stand up and approach her once she walked out.

"What is it? Is it ok?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, fine. Some weird contraction thing." AJ said, "Baby is fine." She said as Matthew nodded. It was an awkward time for something like this to happen, nevertheless she appreciated him taking her to the hospital and waiting.

"You should get home and sleep." Matthew nodded, "We don't have to talk anymore. You've said everything and I have. We can leave it at that." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah. I… I'm gonna go see Phil just now. He's probably still awake." AJ nodded, "I… I just wanna see him." She said, rubbing her tummy softly as Matthew nodded.

"Sure." Matthew nodded.

"I can just get a cab back." AJ said, "Thank you for taking me." She smiled to him as he just nodded.

"I'm just glad everything is ok." He nodded to her as she smiled, watching as he headed on by her for the exit as she stood and sighed to herself.


	64. Harmless

**Harmless**

* * *

"Why are you here so late?" Punk asked as AJ walked into his room. He was told that he was getting moved to a normal room in the morning, and was thankful he only had to spend one more night in the ICU.

"I was here for the baby." AJ shook her head, sitting down on the chair beside the bed. Strictly speaking, visiting time was over, but AJ explained to Lenny what had happened and he allowed her in to talk to Punk.

"Why?" Punk lifted his head from his pillow, looking at her worriedly, "Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"No. No, everything is fine." AJ said, "I had these contraction things, they're normal. It was just this tight feeling. I really thought I was going into labour." She shook her head. She was terrified and even though the doctor had truly clarified that she was ok and the baby was ok, there was still worry inside her.

"But it's fine now?" Punk asked her, "Did you see someone?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I did. My nurse. She told me it's common and that the baby is fine." AJ said, "But I just wanted to see you. I got really scared." She shook her head as he took her hand in his.

"Did your brother take you in?" Punk asked her.

"No. Matthew did." AJ said as Punk nodded, "He's gone home now though, I'm just gonna get a cab back." She nodded, "I wish I could just stay here with you all night." She admitted sadly. He was her safe place, somewhere she felt comfortable, and these past few nights on her own had been torture.

"He could have waited on you or… came back and got you." Punk made a face of disapproval.

"To be honest, I'm trying to keep my distance from him." AJ admitted.

"Why?" Punk asked her as she looked across at him. She didn't want to tell him. It felt unfair when he was bed bound and feeling a lot of pain, but she just felt like she had to let him know what was going on.

"Me and him… when I was a kid, we were kids, we slept together." She said as Punk tilted his head, "It was my first time. I thought it'd be wise to do with someone I knew, so it wouldn't be weird." AJ said, "But… it was still weird. We didn't let it affect our friendship and that was that." She said, "But now he said to me last night that he has feelings for me… that he always has." AJ said, watching Punk's face turn to rage, "He's not came on to me or anything like that." She made clear, "He's just spoke to me about it."

"Nice for him to do it when I'm stuck in this bed." Punk nodded, "So what… you guys were a thing?"

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, nothing besides that night we had, happened." She made clear, "It was like a friend thing-"

"Friends don't do that." Punk shook his head.

"I know but it was… there was no strings, we agreed for it to not ruin our friendship and that was it." AJ said, "And now he's saying all of this and I'm uncomfortable." She admitted.

"If he's making you uncomfortable then ask him to leave." Punk said bluntly, "Does your brother know about all of this?"

"No, he'd kill Matthew." AJ said, "I don't know what he expects me to say or do." AJ admitted.

"What did you say to him?" Punk asked.

"Well I told him straight up that… he wasn't gonna hear the answers or reply that he wanted. I'm with you. I love you and our life together is important to me. I… he's a good friend, and he's sweet, but I don't see him in that light." AJ said, "And I told him that, and he's fine with it but… now it's just awkward and I feel weird around him."

"If he's making you uncomfortable, tell him to leave." Punk shook his head, "Or better, tell him to come have a chat with me, I'm sure we'll have plenty to discuss." He grumbled. He wasn't worried, but it angered him that Matthew had clearly picked his moment to tell AJ this when he was stuck in bed after major surgery.

"No, you just focus on yourself. I told Matthew this. That my only interest is you, helping you get better and then having this baby. And I think he got the message." She nodded, "I don't know if he just needed to vent, get it all out." She shrugged, "It's just been a weird few days." She admitted truthfully.

"Now I'm gonna worry about him being in the same house with you. Our house." Punk said.

"My brother is there too. And he'd never… come on to me like that." AJ shook her head, "I'm hoping that we can just move past it. I spoke to your sister about it and she said that he might just be a little jealous. Jealous of me and you, our life here." She nodded, "But you don't have to worry." She shook her head, "I think now that it's out we should just be able to move past it." She said as Punk nodded.

"Well if he gives you any grief, I know you're capable of putting him in his place but… you have Seth's number if you feel like you're in trouble-"

"Phil." AJ sighed, "Nothing is going to happen. My brother is there." AJ reminded him, "It's fine. Matthew isn't like that."

"He's a murderer." Punk said, "Which means I don't trust him anyway, and I certainly don't trust him after he's said all of this. No wonder he was taking you to dinner and buying our baby things. We should throw those onesies out." He rambled as AJ smiled a little.

"No, I liked them." AJ frowned, "He's not evil. He's a good person who has gone through a lot." AJ nodded, "And he knows where we stand. I've made it very clear." She nodded, "I just wanted to tell you, it was just spinning in my head." She said as Punk nodded.

"Well I'm sure he'll scutter back to Puerto Rico once my legs are functioning on the ground again." Punk shook his head, "I get it. We can all have feelings for someone, especially if he's known you a while, I'm not mad at that. I'm mad that he's saying it now. Why now?" Punk asked.

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, "It doesn't have to become this big thing, though. We've spoke about it, I've said what I have to say and so has he, so hopefully we can just move forward." She nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded tiredly, "I can't wait to get to a normal room." He shook his head, "How is Dean, do you know?" He asked.

"I've spoken to Lia a few times. Just the same as you. He's lost a lot more strength because he's been in here for a month now but… he's doing as good as he can be. He's getting moved to a room tomorrow." She said as Punk nodded, watching as a nurse walked into the room.

"Ok, Phil. More medication time before bed." The nurse said as AJ figured she'd go and give her boyfriend the chance to sleep.

"I'll get going." AJ nodded to Punk.

"Can she stay?" Punk turned to the nurse, "Any way we could get a bed wheeled in here for her?" He wondered as the nurse smiled.

"As much as I'd like to say yes." The nurse said, "I don't think we can make that happen." She said.

"Damn." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled, standing up.

"I'll see you in the morning." AJ told him.

"Mhm. Any grief you get from Matthew just call Seth." Punk told her.

"It'll be fine." AJ assured him, leaning over and giving him a soft kiss before leaving the hospital and heading home in a cab.

* * *

She got home, dumping her things down and wandering through to the kitchen where she saw Matthew was sitting with a coffee.

"You ok?" Matthew asked her.

"Yeah, I'm ok." AJ said, "I'm just gonna make myself a sandwich and head to bed." She told him as he nodded, "I uh… I told Phil about what's going on here… well, what you said." AJ said as Matthew gulped a little, "He's not happy about it that you chose now to tell me, when he's laid up in hospital." AJ told him honestly.

"I didn't think he'd be happy about it regardless." Matthew laughed a little.

"But I told him it's fine. I've said what I want to say and so have you, and hopefully we can move on. Because you're a good friend, and you've always looked out for me." She nodded, "I wouldn't want any of that to be ruined."

"Hey, I just want you to be happy." Matthew put his hands up, standing up from the table as AJ looked across at him, "Are you happy?" He asked her.

"I'm happy." AJ assured him, "I'm happy with Phil, if that's what you really meant to ask." AJ said, buttering the slices of bread as Matthew watched her, "If I wasn't happy with him then I wouldn't be with him." She said, "After Sofia, I never treated relationships seriously because I was too afraid in case I'd lose them." She said, "But Phil changed that, and I love him, that's not going to change, ever." AJ made clear to him as Matthew nodded.

"Then I'm happy that you've found someone you care that much about." Matthew said as AJ looked across at him, "I'm always here for you if you need me. And I will always care about you, not to have you care about me in return but… just because." He shrugged as AJ looked across at him and nodded, "I know it seems cowardly on Phil's behalf, me showing up and saying this when he's not around but… I didn't want it to become this big thing. I just wanted it to be between me and you."

"I know that." AJ said, "But I don't keep things from him." She said as Matthew nodded.

"We'll probably be gone by the time he's home anyway, not to escape but… we were only here for a few days anyway." Matthew said, "Maybe next time I come visit it's to… meet the baby." He smiled as AJ nodded.

"I'd like for you to meet it." AJ said. She knew he meant no harm. Everyone had different feelings, and of course it was a bit of a shock but she wasn't mad at him. She still valued him as a good friend.

"If Phil lets me." Matthew laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

"He's not an evil monster." AJ scoffed, "If he was, you'd probably be in prison. It just… it looks a bit sketchy from where he is." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Matthew sighed, "It wasn't my intention to try and break you up. I really just wanted to tell you that… sometimes I do think about you, about us… maybe I have some regret not saying more to you back then, about how I felt. Us Puerto Ricans aren't very good with opening up, are we?"

"Definitely not our families." AJ smiled, "Don't live your life with regret. You'll find someone, and they'll be lucky to have you." She nodded as Matthew just smiled.

"How is the baby then? Everything ok?" He asked her.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. Doctor says they can happen at this time but it's not anything to worry about. I'll know what it's like when I'm in labour apparently, which terrifies me because I thought that false stuff was painful… I'm in for a treat." She said, making up her sandwich.

"You'll do fine." Matthew nodded, "I'm gonna crash in the living room." He said as AJ nodded, watching him head off out of the kitchen whilst she made her sandwich up and headed on upstairs to bed. She just couldn't wait to get Punk home to look after him and help him recover.


	65. Getting Home

**Getting Home**

* * *

"You good?" AJ asked, a few days later, helping Punk into their house. He was fairly good on his legs. She assumed he'd be pretty unsteady and in too much pain, but he was doing really well, and Lenny was pleased with both him and Dean's recovery so far.

"Yeah, I'm good." Punk nodded.

"Ok, hold the wall if you need it so I can get the bags." She said as he nodded, having a break as he placed his hand on the wall whilst AJ walked back out to their car to grab his bag and some other shopping bags from the grocery store.

"I don't want you running after me." Punk shook his head, "You're seven months pregnant. You need rest just as much as I do." He told her as she sat the bags down and closed the door over.

"Phil, I'm pregnant, it's natural, it's good for me to be moving around. You do need to rest and let yourself heal after the surgery you've had." She said, "No questions asked." She made clear as Punk just sighed. He knew she'd be very hands on, and it wasn't like he didn't appreciate it but he was just concerned she was doing too much.

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't be running around after me." He said, "I can still cook dinner I'm sure." He said.

"No, you're not doing anything but putting your feet up and resting." AJ warned him, "And if I catch you doing anything like… cooking the dinner or trying to go upstairs on your own then I'll be mad." She told him. She knew he could be stubborn like this and she didn't want him to hurt himself. It was so important that he just let himself heal and was careful with his body.

"I can make you tea, do you want tea?" Punk asked her seriously, trying to head for the kitchen as AJ took his hand.

"Please stop." AJ smiled to him, "I know you wanna jump back into life again and I know you want to be there for me but… you're a week out of having huge surgery, you need to respect that and let yourself heal. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm even better now that you're home." She said, "Please don't be stubborn. All you'll do is hurt yourself and the recovery will just take longer." She told him truthfully as Punk nodded.

"I just don't want you doing everything on your own, it's not fair." He sighed.

"Hey, I have your sister, and Seth, and Lia if I really need help with something, but my main priority right now is looking after you." She said, "So please let me." She said as Punk just nodded, "C'mon, let's get you sitting down." She said, helping him into the living room where she'd set the couch up for him with some cushions and a blanket, as well as moving the coffee table a little closer for him.

"You're too much." Punk said as AJ smiled.

"Why? Because I puffed some cushions up and brought a blanket down? You clearly have no expectations." She said as he just smiled, slowly sitting down on the couch, wincing a little as his body was still very sore. He still had a ton of medication to take morning, noon and night for the pain, and had to make sure his bandages were wrapped properly every morning, "You sore?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, just sitting down there." Punk assured her. He couldn't have asked for a better partner throughout everything. She'd been with him at the hospital for what seemed like every minute. She paid close attention to all of the recovery information he was given so she could help him with things like wrapping his bandages.

"You can have more meds after lunch." AJ said, "Which I'm gonna start now." She told him.

"I'm not that hungry." Punk shook his head. Although his mind was telling him he was good to go, he knew himself that his body wasn't good to go. He barely had an appetite and the pain around his wound was pretty bad.

"I know but you need to eat a little something for your meds." She said, "I can cut sandwiches into shapes for you if you like." She said as Punk looked at her, "What? I have those little shape cutters." She shrugged.

"This is your practise for the baby coming, isn't it?"

"Maybe." AJ smiled.

"You don't have to put things into shapes." Punk smiled at her sweetness, "Was Dean getting out today?" He asked her, lying back on the couch slowly as she helped him get comfy.

"I think he was getting out tomorrow or the next day. I think they need to consider more of a rehab recovery for him too." She said, "You comfy?" She asked him as he nodded.

"He didn't look too bad when I saw him." Punk said. He'd been wheeled back and forth a few times to Dean's room towards the end of the week to see him. It was nice to see each other after everything they'd went through, and Dean was incredibly grateful for what Punk had done for him.

"Yeah, he's doing good. He should be out soon but I'd imagine his recovery is a little more hard going, he'll probably need to book into rehab for real this time once he's recovered physically." She said as Punk nodded, "Most important thing is he's healthy on the inside now, he just needs to work on keeping it that way and getting some help for things mentally." She said, "I said I would give Lia the number of my therapist, I know he might just turn it down, therapy isn't exactly something people want to go to but… it helps, for anyone, not just those with mental illness." She said, "Personally I think everyone should go to therapy." She shrugged.

"Even a well-kept together person like me?" Punk raised a brow.

"Even you." AJ nodded, "People act like it's a place where you go cry and go crazy. It's not. You just talk about shit. Things that might not seem all that big a deal. It keeps your brain healthy." She said as Punk nodded, "I think it could help Dean."

"I think he knows he can't go back there again. Not after all of this." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, Lia said that. He keeps saying he can't lose it because it'd be a slap in the face to you." She said.

"It's not about me. It's about him just getting better and getting to live his life. I know it's not as simple as that and I don't know how it feels but… he's got a family, he has so much to live for and work hard for." He said.

"I know. If he has all the right materials and motivation around him he'll get better." AJ nodded, "Ok, I'm gonna go start lunch. You good?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I'm good." Punk smiled to her.

"Ok." AJ nodded, walking off through to the kitchen as Punk stuck the TV on. He knew it was going to be hard for him to be so strict with himself, but he knew it was important that he recovered and let his body heal properly.

* * *

"How you feeling about going home?" Lia asked, packing Dean's bag up as they got word that he was being released in the morning after Lenny had come to chat with them.

"Good." Dean nodded. It was very obvious to note that he was feeling better, not completely fixed, but better than he did before the surgery when he was practically dying. He owed Punk something he could never repay with and that weighed him heavy, but he also was incredibly grateful for having such a selfless and wonderful friend, "I just wanna get back to normal. For you. For Eva." He said as Lia nodded.

"She'll need to be careful and not jump on you like she normally does." Lia smiled as Dean nodded, "How you feel about going into rehab in a few weeks?" She asked him, sitting down at the bottom of the bed.

"Ok." Dean said, "It's what I gotta do. I'm not gonna go through all of this, this surgery, everything that has come with it, just to flush it away." Dean shook his head, "This has gave me the motivation to be better." He said.

"AJ gave me the number for her therapist." Lia said, "I assume it's probably part of rehab anyway for you, I guess you'll talk to a lot of people but… she said she's really good, even just for… after things settle down." She nodded, "I don't want to overwhelm you with things but… I think we should start talking more. If you're feeling stressed, like you want to drink, talk to me." She nodded, "It doesn't have to be an individual effort on your half all the time. We can do it together." She said as Dean nodded.

"I just want to get home now." Dean said, "I don't wanna be in one of these places again, in my life." He shook his head as Lia smiled, continuing to pack his bag up, "Did Phil get home ok?"

"Yeah, he went this morning. AJ dropped me a text in the afternoon to let us know that they got home and Phil's doing good, although she did say he's being extremely stubborn." She smiled a little.

"There's a shocker." Dean laughed to himself.

"I know, you better not be like that. I want you just resting yourself, giving your body a break." Lia told him.

"I don't want you having to run after Eva and me." Dean shook his head.

"My mom and your mom will be helping out with Eva, so don't use that as an excuse." She smiled to him, "We're gonna get you healthy again, ok?" She nodded.

"I'm glad you're still here." Dean nodded to her.

"What do you mean?" Lia shook her head.

"Well you could have easily left after how I got." Dean shrugged, "But you stayed."

"I work with addicts for a living, I know it's not easy or a choice that you make." Lia said, "I would never leave you, we have a life together, a family. I'd never give up on that. I was just scared that you had." She admitted truthfully.

"No. I just lost myself." Dean admitted, "I'll be better I promise." He nodded, feeling like he owed her a lot.

"Do it for yourself. Not me or Eva. Do it for you, your life." She said as he just smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Hey, baby, you tired?" AJ asked, later that night where she'd been watching Punk nod on and off on the couch for most of the night whilst she sat at the opposite end. He was still exhausted and barely eating but Lenny had told them that would be normal for a few more days.

"Huh?" Punk woke and looked at her, "No, I'm fine." He smiled to her, shaking his head as he looked back at the TV whilst AJ smiled.

"You're falling asleep." AJ whispered to him as Punk shook his head.

"No I'm not." Punk shook his head.

"You are." AJ nodded, "We can go to bed, I don't mind." She smiled, "I'm kinda tired too."

"It's 8 o'clock." Punk raised a brow, "I feel like an old man." He shook his head.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." AJ shook her head, "Think about what your body has gone through in the past week, be kind to yourself." She said as Punk just smiled a little.

"I only wanna go to bed if you're going." He said childishly.

"You don't have to convince me. This baby makes me ten times more tired." She nodded, "I'm kinda scared incase I bump you during the night though." She admitted, "I might sleep in the spare bedroom."

"I can just sleep down here." Punk shrugged.

"No, you need in bed." She nodded as Punk just agreed with her and let her take charge.

"Did your brother see when he'd next appear back here? He likes to just… show up, doesn't he?" Punk said.

"Yeah, well he said next time he sees me it'll be proabably when I've had the baby. He said my mom or dad hasn't said anything about coming over to visit so." She shrugged, "Matthew said he'd come too." She nodded as Punk screwed his face up.

"Why?" Punk shook his head as AJ turned to him.

"Why not?" AJ shrugged, "Just because he said all of that doesn't mean I'm gonna like… cut him off."

"But it's weird." Punk shook his head, "Why is he so interested in you all of a sudden? If he had these feelings for you all this time why didn't he tell you when you were single?"

"I don't know, maybe he realised even more when he found I was with someone else." AJ nodded, "I don't know, we talked and it's in the past now, I'm not just gonna tell him to stay away from me. He was brave enough to tell me about his feelings and I shouldn't punish him for that-"

"I would." Punk mumbled as AJ narrowed her eyes at him, "Next thing you're gonna tell me he's gonna be in the room with us."

"Don't be a baby." AJ said, "It's not a big deal."

"Having some guy around us, around you, who has openly said that he has feelings for you and has done since you were a kid is weird and you know I have no filter so obviously I'm going to say something to him." He shook his head.

"No you're not. You don't have to cause a scene. It's not a day for that, when we're having this baby that's all that matters, the three of us, no one else." AJ said, "At least Matthew tells me things to my face." She said as Punk looked through her.

"What?" He tilted his head.

"Your mom came by when you were just out of surgery. She told me… about her illness." AJ said, "Why would you never tell me that?" AJ asked him. Things had spiralled and it just came out.

"It's not like I talk about her all the time." Punk said, "I didn't think it'd be a big deal. Why was she there?"

"She just said she wanted to see you, but before you woke up because she knew you'd just kick her out." AJ said, "She's bipolar. She's confused as to why you hate her and love me."

"My feelings for her are nothing to do with her illness." Punk rolled his eyes.

"She tried to drown you when you were a kid." AJ said, "She obviously wasn't treated at all."

"Why did she tell you that?" Punk asked her.

"She was trying to scare me." AJ said.

"Exactly, she's a witch. Not because of her illness or her struggles. She's not a nice person and I don't want anything to do with her. She can't get over that."

"But why wouldn't you tell me? If anyone is gonna understand what it's like to have a mom who is bipolar and not treated for it… it's me." AJ shook her head, "You could have talked to me about it."

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about her." Punk shook his head, "There's never gonna be a relationship there. She's just playing games with you. Ignore her."

"I did." AJ said, "I just don't want you to not talk to me about things, even if it's in the past, even if you don't think it's important." She said as he looked across at her, "What age were you?"

"3 or 4." Punk said, "I don't remember it. She told me later on and it made sense cause the week after I was taken from her by the social for a few weeks." Punk nodded, "It's not just her illness. Because she got medicated and she still didn't give a damn about me or Cami." Punk said, "I don't like talking about it because it's not something I like to think back on. And if you're starting to worry or doubt yourself as a mom because of what she said, please don't think anything that she sees means shit, because it really doesn't." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I've not let it get to me." AJ nodded to him, "But of course I'm worried. A baby isn't just a temporary thing. It's constant. And you know how I can get sometimes." She said, "I'm just worried I'm not gonna be all that good-"

"You're gonna be great." Punk nodded, "You're right. All that matters is… just the three of us." He said, trying to calm himself down, not just because he knew it really wasn't a big deal but because he was getting a pain up his side from straining on his words a little, "Don't listen to anyone else, especially not my mom of all people." He rolled his eyes, "You're gonna be the best mom." He said as she smiled.

"You'll be a good daddy." AJ smiled to him.

"I'll try." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"Ok, we should probably make a start on getting upstairs. This could take a while." She said as he laughed a little and nodded.

"Yeah you're probably right." He smiled.


	66. Arrival

**Arrival**

* * *

 _7 weeks later…_

"I can't believe it's almost fading." AJ shook her head, lying naked in bed with Punk as she looked at the light scarring from his surgery which was already fading out from its redness. It had been almost two months since the surgery and it was safe to say the recovery for both Punk and Dean was going extremely well.

Punk felt back to his normal self again after being constricted to the couch and the bed. It was perfect timing as AJ's due date was only a week away. It hadn't been easy. There were times she knew her boyfriend was frustrated that he wasn't healing as fast as he wanted to, but he was doing extremely well, and only had one more follow up appointment to go to before he was officially cleared for work.

"Dean said his has faded completely." Punk nodded, looking down at his scar.

"Do you still get pain?" AJ asked him. She knew he was fully able to move around now, but she wondered if he ever got some pain.

"No. Lenny said there should be no pain anymore. Not after this many weeks." Punk said, "It's been fine."

"You do seem physically healthy, I can see that." She smirked, looking up at him as he chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm back to putting in the shifts for you." He nodded as she smiled.

"We need to cram as much of it in as possible before the baby comes." She nodded as Punk laughed.

"I'm sure we'll find the time when it's here." He laughed a little.

"But all my baby books say when the baby sleeps, we should sleep." AJ looked up at him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, and don't they sleep for most of the day?" Punk asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. It could be a crier." She said.

"No crying under this roof, I don't think so." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled, "I spoke to Ian on the phone earlier when you were in the bath, he basically said that I can come back whenever I want, but he did suggest I take some time off for the baby." He nodded, "I just hate the feeling of not working. I don't know what to do with myself."

"You're still not one hundred percent. I know you're moving about and you feel fine but… you still need to be careful." She said.

"I know, I am." Punk nodded, "It's good to know in the back of my head that I don't need to worry about being laid off or anything like that, though, Ian is good like that." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, and it's real good of him to keep Dean on. He didn't have to do that." AJ said.

"Yeah, I know Dean is super grateful for that." Punk said.

"How is he getting on?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, good. I visited him yesterday. He's missing Lia and Eva of course but he said it's not been too terrible. He just wants to get healthy, you know?" Punk said as AJ nodded.

Dean had been checked into a rehab clinic for the past few weeks once he was physically fit enough to go. He was taking things a lot more serious now and was just a week away from finishing the programme he was going through. The only downside was that he was staying away instead of at home but he knew it would benefit him for the long haul.

"Yeah, he's doing so well." AJ nodded, "Oh, God." AJ groaned.

"What?" Punk turned to her.

"This damn baby kicking me." AJ shook her head, turning on her back and placing her hand on her tummy as Punk laughed a little, placing his hand on her tummy under the sheets and chuckling to himself, "I'm glad you find it amusing."

"It is. Maybe it's mad." Punk said.

"About what? I'm giving it a nice home in there." AJ shook her head, "Don't be ungrateful." She said, knocking on her stomach as Punk laughed.

"Maybe it wants out to say hi and meet us." Punk nodded. The realisation that their baby was just a week off of being born according to the due date was terrifying but also exciting. They couldn't wait to meet the little person who already meant so much to them, but they were also terrified to venture into this new life of parenting. It was comforting just to know they had each other to lean on.

"Well no, it needs to stay in there for another week. I don't want any early arrivals." She shook her head as Punk smiled, kissing her cheek.

"We'll be ready." Punk said as she just nodded, curling back into him to try and get some sleep.

* * *

"How long has it been?" AJ asked tiredly, lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to the machinery for what had felt like weeks, turning her head to the side where Punk was sat.

"Uh…" Punk looked at the time to count the hours, "19 hours." Punk said as AJ groaned and rolled her head back.

"Why isn't anything happening?" AJ cried to herself and closed her eyes.

After having waking up having contractions almost a whole night ago, they immediately headed to the hospital where she was set up in a room. Her waters hadn't broke yet but since her due date was just two days away, and with examining the position of the baby, it seemed she was definitely going into labour.

"It's just taking a little bit of time but once things get going properly it'll… it'll be all over." He said, rubbing her arm. He felt useless. It wasn't like he could really do much besides collect more ice chips for her and take the cloth to and from her forehead. He couldn't believe how patient and calm she was being, especially after so long.

"I just want it out. Why won't it just come out?" She whined to him. The pain and discomfort was distracting her from the fact that the baby was on its way, slowly of course, but that it would be here soon.

"It's just lazy like me." Punk nodded as AJ shook her head.

"Stop saying things like that to me. I want a real answer. I want to know why this damn baby doesn't want to come out of me? Do you think I should just push anyway?" She asked him seriously as her doctor came through the door.

"That's not going to do anything, April." The doctor said with a sympathetic smile as AJ groaned and rolled her head back on the pillow, "All the boyfriends take the heat in these rooms." She turned to Punk, "Don't worry about it." She said as Punk just smiled.

"Please tell me there's stuff happening." AJ said, looking on at the doctor, "I didn't want to say anything, I'm kinda scared in case I've just peed myself but-"

"No, your waters have broken." The doctor assured her as AJ placed her hand on her chest.

"Good, because that would have been embarrassing." She said as Punk just smiled and shook his head.

"It is good." The doctor nodded, "Things should be speeding up now, but those contractions are gonna get closer together, for longer." She said as AJ rolled her eyes, "You sure you don't want the epidural or the gas and air?" She wondered.

"No." AJ waved her hand, "No, I want nothing." She shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"I mean…" Punk said, "Are you sure?" He asked her.

"I'm sure. I don't want anything." AJ shook her head adamantly as the doctor just nodded.

"Ok. I'll ask you again next time I come by, maybe you'll change your mind." She smiled, "You're doing good. We're getting there." She said positively, sorting AJ out before leaving the room.

"Take the gas and air, I wanna hear your jokes." Punk said as AJ shook her head.

"No, I don't want anything." AJ shook her head, "I just… I want to do it my way. I have this planned out in my head." She nodded to herself as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Ok. You do it your way." Punk nodded, "I'm just saying it's a massive stomp on my masculinity." He teased as she smiled.

"You know who's boss." She smiled.

"Mhm." He nodded, leaning forward and kissing her cheek as she smiled.

* * *

Another few hours went by where things progressed a little quicker, until AJ was eventually moved to the delivery room with Punk where she gave birth to a six pound baby girl whom they named Jessica Sofia Brooks. She was beautiful and precious and AJ couldn't help feel extremely proud of herself after a labour free of any kinds of drugs. It wasn't easy but their baby was here and that was all she cared about.

"She's so toatsy." AJ smiled, holding the baby girl in her arms, moved back into recovery where they were left with Jessica on their own to gush over. They couldn't get enough of her. She was like a little perfect angel.

"She's perfect." Punk smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed beside AJ. He couldn't keep his eyes from the baby girl. He couldn't believe he was a father. It was the most awe-inspiring moment of his entire life, seeing his daughter being born, knowing there and then that he'd do absolutely anything to keep her safe and happy. It was a good day.

"She's so tiny, look at her little fingers." AJ smiled. She was exhausted completely after a long labour but she couldn't stop staring at their baby girl, looking at all her beautiful little features, which mostly resembled her own.

"She's a mini you, this is terrifying." Punk said as AJ laughed lightly and nodded.

"Did you text everyone we need to text?" AJ asked him as he nodded.

"Yeah, it's 3am so… I imagine everyone will probably get the text in the morning." He said as AJ nodded.

"I just want to keep holding her. She's so perfect." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled, "Look at her little eyelids." She gasped, looking on at the baby girl who was sleeping. Things that she wouldn't have thought would be cute on anyone, were suddenly the most precious things she had saw whilst looking on at Jessica. They were just so in love with her, and almost taken aback by the whole experience of meeting her.

"You did amazing." Punk shook his head, still amazed by AJ and how well she did without any epidural or drugs to help her with the pain. She did it her way and she did it so well. He told her in the delivery room straight after she'd given birth how proud he was of her but he just had to keep reminding her.

"I wouldn't recommend the no drugs thing." AJ laughed a little, "But I'm glad I did it my own way." She smiled to herself, happy with herself and how things had gone, even if she did feel completely drained, it was so worth it to hold their baby girl and finally get to meet her.

"I knew it'd be a girl." Punk nodded.

"I'm sure you did." AJ laughed.

"I did. I just didn't want to sit aloud." Punk said, "I knew it."

"I love her." AJ shook her head as Punk nodded in agreement, wrapping his arm around AJ, "I love her so much." She said, leaning down and kissing the baby girls nose softly, both of them watching as her little fingers curled, causing them to laugh a little and smile, going on to point out more quirks and features they loved about her, not being able to help feel like she was the best thing they'd ever done.


	67. Settling In

**Settling In**

* * *

"Hi, baby girl." Cami smiled, cradling baby Jessica in her arms the next day, "I'm your cool aunt." She said as Punk smiled, sitting over by the bed which AJ was sitting up in, "Oh my God, she's so precious." Cami looked up at them both. Jessica was fast asleep in her aunts arms and had been successful fed by her parents early this morning for the first time.

"She's real sweet." Seth nodded, who had come with Cami to the hospital before his shift started to see the baby, "She's a lot like you, April." He said as AJ nodded and smiled.

"It's terrifying." Punk added.

"How did she sleep?" Cami asked, sitting down on the chair beside Punk.

"She was good." AJ nodded, turning to Punk who nodded to, "Phil left around 4am once I fell asleep and the first time she woke up was like… 8? 9?" AJ asked Punk.

"Yeah about 9, just before I got here." Punk said, "She's just playing us. When we got home she'll start screaming I bet." Punk nodded.

"Don't say that." AJ groaned.

"No, she'll be perfect." Cami smiled, looking down at Jessica, watching as her tiny little chest went up and down, her tiny fingers curling as she moved around a little, "And I heard you did it without any drugs?" Cami looked over at AJ, "You're crazy."

"Well." AJ nodded, "I wouldn't recommend it." She said.

"I thought I was dying and that was me taking all the drugs they had to offer." Cami laughed a little as Punk turned to her. He was a little worried that it may have been hard for Cami to be around the new baby, and be back in the hospital. This was the moment she never had, and he didn't want to shove that in her face, but she seemed to have been taking it well and was just thrilled to meet her new niece.

"I'll be taking the drugs the next time." AJ assured Cami.

"Next time?" Punk turned to her as AJ just waved her hand and smiled.

"Has Dean came to see you? I know he just got out the rehab a few days ago." Seth said.

"Him and Lia are gonna come later tonight. And then AJ and the baby will be coming home in the morning." He said as Seth nodded.

"Prepared?" Cami asked them.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "Maybe not mentally prepared." She said.

"We'll be fine." Punk nodded.

"Hey, didn't you say your brother was coming over to see her?" Cami asked AJ.

"Yeah. Phil called him last night to let him know the baby was her, her name, everything like that and he said he'd get the next flight out so… I'm not sure when he'll be here."

"You think your parents will come?" Cami asked.

"I don't know." AJ shrugged, "And honestly, I don't really care." She shook her head. She was beyond the point of caring, especially when she had their baby girl to focus and concentrate on. This was her little family now.

"You shouldn't let it bother you." Cami agreed, "You're gonna be way too distracted to notice anyone else anyway." She smiled down at Jessica, "I love her little face." She shook her head as Punk and AJ smiled to each other.

"I just can't believe she's really here." AJ admitted truthfully with a relaxed smile. It had been a long few days but having their baby girl finally in their arms was the biggest blessing ever, and she already couldn't wait to take her home.

* * *

Cami and Seth stayed for a little while longer spending some time with Jessica before they had to leave to both go to work, leaving Punk and AJ with their baby girl whom was due to be fed. Since AJ had fed her this morning, Punk was taking his turn in the afternoon. It was such a heart-warming feeling, holding Jessica in his arms, looking down at her as she took her bottle, pretty well for a new born.

"She's hungry." AJ smiled, sitting up in bed with her legs crossed, watching Jessica in Punk's arms as she guzzled at the bottle hungrily.

"She is." Punk chuckled lightly.

"I think your sister is in love." AJ smiled as Punk nodded, "I was kinda worried in case… I don't know, she got upset or something… I know babies probably aren't her favourite thing to be around at the moment, but… she was fine. She's in love with her."

"Yeah I was worried too but… she's moving on." Punk said, "She's getting on with her life. She has to, you know?" He said as AJ nodded, "She's been excited to be an aunt all this time so I thought she'd be ok." He said as AJ nodded.

"Her and Seth have been spending a lot of time together." AJ raised her eyebrows as he nodded.

"I think they're just friends. I mean… what they've been through together, you can't just part ways after that." He said as AJ nodded.

"I know. I don't know, I think they're kinda cute together." AJ shrugged.

"The last thing she needs is to date a cop." Punk shook his head.

"What's wrong with dating a cop?" AJ laughed a little, "I don't see any problems."

"Well she's not the most innocent person, is she?" Punk said.

"Yeah but all that shit is behind her, she was younger then, hanging around with wrong people. She's on a good path now." AJ said, "Well whatever they are, friends, more than friends, I think they're cute." She shrugged as Punk just hmm'd whilst feeding Jessica, "Heard anything from my brother?" She asked.

"No, nothing." Punk said, "I assume he'll probably get here tomorrow. He didn't say anything about bringing Matthew." Punk nodded with promise.

"If Matthew is here then it's not an issue, we talked about this." AJ said, "C'mon, don't make me worry when I'm so happy right now." She said as Punk nodded.

"No, I won't. It'll be fine." Punk nodded, "You're happy?" He smiled, looking over at her.

"Of couese I am." AJ smiled, "Happiest I've been in… forever." She said as Punk smiled. It was all he cared about. To see her happy.

"Me too." Punk nodded with a smile.

"I can't wait to take her home." AJ smiled, shuffling over to the edge of the bed to get closer to her boyfriend and daughter, placing her hands over her mouth as she watched their baby girl have her bottle. It was just so mesmerising to know they'd created this beautiful little thing, and that they both just wanted to make her happy and protect her.

"Yeah, me too." Punk smiled, "Do you think she'll like her nursery?" He asked as AJ chuckled.

"We'll see what she has to say about it." AJ teased as Punk smiled.

"I love you." Punk smiled, looking up at her. If anything he felt closer to her because of their baby girl, it was a wonderful feeling to share, knowing they were both going to raise her together and give her the best life they possibly could.

"I love you too." AJ smiled, cupping his cheeks and pressing a soft kiss on his lips whilst he continued to feed Jessica in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, AJ and baby Jessica finally got to come home. Dean and Lia had visited late on the previous night and were so in love with the baby just like Seth and Cami were. There was definitely a lot of love shown for the baby girl.

AJ and Punk couldn't wait to get her home in her new nursery and really get to settle in with her. She had been an angel in the hospital, and they were scared to jinx themselves in case she started to cry up a storm when they got home.

AJ was feeling good despite being a little tired and sore, but that was all very normal of course. She was feeling all kinds of proud bringing their baby girl back to their home.

"Is she still sleeping?" AJ asked Punk who had taken Jessica into the house in her carrier, placing it up on the couch as AJ walked in behind him.

"Yeah, she's still sleeping." Punk smiled. Every time he looked at her he completely melted and didn't know what to do with himself. Especially when she had her eyes opened and had those big brown eyes staring right at him. He was a mess already.

"She's so sleepy." AJ laughed a little, "This is great." She smiled to herself, looking on into the carrier where Jessica was fast asleep like she had been since they left the hospital.

"Should we put her in her nursery?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Did we set up the baby monitors?" AJ wondered.

"Yeah, there's one over there and one in the kitchen." Punk nodded, remembering when he installed them, unstrapping Jessica from her carrier and lifting her into his chest slowly and carefully. Sometimes he was afraid to touch her in case he'd break her. She was just so tiny and precious.

"Ok, you put her down. I should probably clean this place up if my brother is gonna show up today." She looked around.

"April, put your feet up." Punk told her, "Please." He said as she just looked at him, "I'll put her down and I'll clear everything away." He said as AJ nodded and smiled.

"Ok." AJ nodded, looking on at him as he stood with Jessica in against his chest. She loved seeing him with her. He was so good with her already. He knew what she wanted when she got fussy and made holding her look so natural and easy.

Punk headed on upstairs with Jessica, opening up her nursery and walking on in, it feeling surreal to actually bring her home.

"We went a little crazy with the animals." Punk said softly, "But if you're anything like your mom you're gonna love it." He said, walking over to her crib, putting her down in the centre of it as he looked on at her peacefully sleep, "Man, I'm in trouble with you." He shook his head, rubbing his forehead worriedly as he watched her so blissfully unaware of everything, enjoying her sleep. She was everything.

He switched the light out, only leaving a little night lamp on in the corner of the nursery, and headed off downstairs, walking on through to the living room.

"She didn't-" Punk paused, looking on at his other girl lying fast asleep on the couch in a sitting up position. In the small amount of time it took him to put Jessica down, it appeared that AJ had also crashed.

He smiled to himself and walked over to her, shifting her around into a lying position on the couch, grabbing a blanket from on the other chair and shaking it out over her. She was definitely more exhausted than what she was letting on, and he knew it was important that she got her rest. He had things under control for now.

He cleared up some things in the living room and took some dishes through to the kitchen, dumping them in the sink, pausing a little when he felt a pain in his side, holding it and shaking his head with confusion.

He waited by the sink for a few minutes where the pain eventually subsided. He brushed it off and told himself it was just a strain, not allowing himself to remember he'd had major surgery just two months ago.

He continued to clear things up when he heard a knock at the front door, heading on down from the kitchen and opening it up where he saw Dominic standing along with Matthew. He remembered to keep his cool, and knew that everyone was human, feelings were a part of life and he had no right to be mad at someone just because they felt a certain away about his girlfriend. He had more important things to focus on now.

"Hey." Punk nodded brightly.

"Hey, man. Congratulations." Dominic said, embracing Punk right away. Punk still wasn't quite used to Dominic being so friendly with him, but AJ assured him it was a Puerto Rican thing.

"Thanks." Punk chuckled a little.

"Congratulations." Matthew nodded to him as Punk just nodded back.

"Thank you." Punk nodded, "Bad timing though. Baby and AJ are asleep." He chuckled a little.

"I can still take a peek, right?" Matthew asked, "At Jessica, not my sister." He said as Punk nodded.

"Sure, come on up." Punk nodded, heading upstairs as Dominic and Matthew followed behind.

"Hey, also… say no if you want but, we didn't book anywhere to stay… we just flew over right away and… I was wondering, just for a few nights if-"

"Sure." Punk nodded, saving him the trouble of asking, walking on into the nursery as the guys followed in.

"Oh, man. Look at her." Dominic smiled, leaning over the crib, "You got enough animals in here?" He looked around and chuckled.

"Yeah, we went a little crazy." Punk nodded.

"She's real cute." Matthew smiled as Punk just nodded.

"She looks like April when she was a baby. I can't wait to have a hold." Dominic nodded.

"She'll probably wake up soon for a bottle." Punk said.

"Well we brought beer for a toast, and a soda for you of course." Dominic patted his bookbag he had on his back as Punk just laughed a little.

"The terms and conditions of staying here is not being loud." Punk warned as Dominic waved his hand.

"I'm Puerto Rican. I'm loud sober." He shrugged as Punk just nodded and smiled, "I love her. Sweet thing." He nodded, stroking Jessica's face softly, "We gotta have a toast." He nodded, turning around and leaving the nursery to go downstairs whilst Matthew stayed for a few more minutes.

Punk and Matthew exchanged an awkward stare, not really knowing what else to say to each other, looking at one another intensely before Matthew spoke up, "You can tell he's excited to be an uncle." Matthew said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, no kidding." Punk laughed a little.

"I'll go keep him in check." He said, leaving the nursery as Punk's smile faded out, running his hand over his face. He wasn't sure how AJ would feel about them both lodging with them for a few days, it didn't seem like a big issue but they were also trying to settle in with Jessica gently, and even though he was trying to be mature about it, he really wasn't sure if he could be around Matthew knowing how he felt about AJ.


	68. Warned

**Warned**

* * *

AJ woke up after a few hours of napping on the couch. She couldn't even remember crashing and falling asleep, but figured that she must have really been tired. She got up from the couch after letting her eyes adjust to waking up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her as she trailed off to the kitchen, jumping a little when she saw her brother sitting at the table feeding Jessica whilst Punk was sitting across the table.

"Oh, hey." Dominic smiled quietly as AJ shook her head with confusion.

"When did you get here?" AJ smiled, happy to see her brother. She would have gave him a warm hug had he not been feeding her precious baby girl.

"Earlier tonight." Dominic said, "Matthew has gone out to get some food." He said as AJ nodded, looking over to Punk curiously, wondering if he had behaved so far, watching him just wink to her as she smiled, "Your nice dreamy boyfriend told us we could stay for a few nights." He said as AJ's smile slightly faded a little.

"The both of you?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Dominic said as AJ looked over to Punk who just shrugged.

"Dominic, do you not know what a hotel is?" AJ shook her head, "We've just literally brought Jessica home. We're trying to… settle down with her." AJ said, not holding back, "She could be up screaming all night, and there's bottles to be made." She said in a panic as Punk watched her. He knew she would be angry about it, and he agreed with her that it seemed a little unfair that Dominic and Matthew had assumed they could stay with them, especially when they really had just brought Jessica home.

"We'll find a hotel it's fine." Dominic shook his head, "I was thinking maybe an extra set of hands around the house might have been a good thing." He shrugged as AJ folded her arms and looked over at him feeding Jessica, sighing to herself.

"She looks comfy with you." AJ noticed and nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Yeah, she's a sweetheart." Dominic nodded, "I love her." He shook his head as AJ smiled.

"No mom or dad then?" AJ nodded, having accepted the fact her parents weren't coming anyway, walking over to the fridge to grab a water out.

"There's a card from them, it's on the counter over there." Dominic nodded.

"A card? What? They can't call me?" AJ asked.

"Mom got a new phone and dad doesn't even know how to use his." Dominic laughed a little.

"Oh, mom has had a new phone for years, has she?" AJ asked, opening up the card aggressively as Dominic just sighed a little, "Sweet." AJ mumbled, barely reading the card before tossing it into the trash.

"Don't be like that, April." Dominic sighed, "They're so settled into their life in Puerto Rico. The only reason I see them is because I live there too. If I lived here it'd be the same song and dance for me." He said, "It's just who they are."

"But why is it so difficult to call? Or even text?" AJ shook her head, "I'm not asking for much." She said, "It's their first grandchild. I thought they'd be interested." She said as Dominic just looked over to her.

"Well I'm sorry they aren't here." Dominic said, not knowing what else to say.

"You don't have to apologise. You're here. I don't care about anything else." She nodded, "Where did you say Matthew was?" AJ asked.

"He went to get some food and more beers. We had a toast for Jessica. You missed it." Dominic said.

"I hope the three of you aren't crowding my poor baby." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled, "You and Matthew can stay here." She nodded. She knew her brother wasn't rich and probably couldn't really afford to spend money on a hotel, "Maybe extra hands around here will help." She said as Dominic smiled.

"Thanks." Dominic nodded, "Ok, I think we're done with this." Dominic said, sitting Jessica's bottle on the table, "I uh… I don't know how you do the burping thing." He shook his head to Punk and AJ.

"I'll take her." AJ nodded, passing Punk her blanket, taking Jessica from her brother, holding her in against her chest as she proceeded to wind her, rubbing her little back softly, taking so much pride in holding her baby girl.

"Wonder mom already?" Dominic smiled.

"I don't know about that." AJ said, "I'm gonna go change her and put her back down." She nodded as Punk smiled, watching her walk away with Jessica, talking away to her whilst heading upstairs.

"She seems real happy." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "She is. We both are. I mean, it's no secret that we didn't plan for a baby this early but… she's the best thing ever." He laughed a little, "And doing it together is the best part."

"I'm really happy for you both. God knows you both deserve it after everything that's gone on." Dominic said as Punk nodded, listening as the front door opened and closed, suddenly going tense again as he realised Matthew had got back.

It wasn't that he disliked him. In fact, he was a pretty nice guy with decent manners. He just got agitated by the fact that he liked AJ in a way that was way more than just friends. Knowing he was under the same roof as AJ, looking at her the same way he did, it just made him feel uncomfortable.

"More beer." Matthew nodded, sitting the case of beer in front of Dominic, "Pizza." He said, sitting the box over on the counter and opening it up as Punk watched him.

"I need a piss." Dominic said, "Don't eat all of that fucking pizza." He warned Matthew, leaving the kitchen to go upstairs whilst Matthew reached for a bear out of the case.

"Have some pizza, man." Matthew nodded.

"I'm not that hungry." Punk assured him.

"Is April awake? There's plenty here for everyone." Matthew said as Punk just nodded.

"She's putting Jessica back down." Punk nodded to him as Matthew looked across at him and nodded.

"Look, I know we've not really got the chance to talk one on one, to be honest, I don't think there's anything we need to talk about anymore, it's in the past, you've moved on, got a lot of good going for you… I'm just here to congratulate my friend on having a baby, that's it."

"You look me in the eye and tell me that you look at her the way a friend looks at another friend, and then I'll believe you." Punk nodded as Matthew looked across at him, sitting his beer down, "I just want to enjoy the first few days with my daughter at home, with my girlfriend."

"I'm not stopping you from doing that." Matthew said.

"Well you kinda are." Punk admitted, "You think I wanna be sat in the same room with you whilst you stare across at her?" Punk asked.

"That's not the way it is. I've moved on, I'm not trying to get with her or win her over." He laughed a little, "I really just came here to congratulate her, both of you." He said, "There's no other reason." He said honestly as Punk just looked across at him, putting his hands up.

"Hey, I believe you then." Punk nodded, standing up from the table, "But if I see you making her uncomfortable, I'll not tell you to leave my house, I'll drag you out myself." He warned seriously as Matthew gulped and looked across at him, just as Dominic came back downstairs, "Hey, Dom, is AJ ok up there?" Punk asked Dominic, turning his attention away from Matthew who backed away.

"Yeah, heard Jessica crying a little though." Dominic admitted as Punk nodded.

"I'll go see if she needs help." Punk said, walking out of the kitchen, heading upstairs, pausing half way up as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach again, clutching onto the railing for a few seconds until it passed again, shaking his head and carrying on.

* * *

AJ and Punk pretty much went to bed after putting Jessica down. The baby girl was super relaxed and only had a small little cry before drifting back to sleep. Matthew and Dominic also went to sleep after clearing up downstairs. Dominic took the spare bedroom and Matthew took the couch.

Punk could barely sleep however, as the pain he'd been feeling off and on, was suddenly back and more constant as he tried to find a position. He wasn't worried, he knew that the surgery was still pretty fresh and that he had probably just overworked himself, but it was pretty painful.

He sat up, spinning his legs around dangling them off the edge of the bed as he held the part in which was painful, just below his scar, sighing to himself whilst AJ woke up and turned around.

"Hey." She whispered, seeing in the dark room him sitting up, reaching for the night lamp by her bed and turning it on, screwing her eyes up a little, "Hey, you ok?" AJ asked him, placing a hand on his back as he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Punk nodded, "Can't really sleep." He told her.

"Phil." AJ said sternly, knowing that something else was wrong, she could tell by the way he wasn't looking her in the eye, "What's wrong?" She asked him, "Is it Matthew?"

"No." Punk shook his head, "No, I got this pain in my stomach." He admitted, not seeing any point in lying to her.

"What? What do you mean?" AJ shook her head.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm sure I've just been doing too much. It's just a little niggle." He told her, even though it was way more than that. He just didn't want her to worry.

"Where? Turn around and let me see." AJ said as Punk turned around, lying back down on his back as AJ looked at his stomach just under his scar, "It looks a little swollen." She nodded, placing her hand over the area, "You'll need to see a doctor." She said.

"What? No." Punk scoffed, "No, I'm telling you, I know it's just because I've done too much. I just gotta take it easy, remind myself about the surgery." He said, "It's nothing to worry about, trust me." Punk nodded as AJ sighed.

"You should still get it checked out, Phil." AJ sighed.

"No, it's fine, baby. I promise." He nodded to her, "C'mon, we should try sleep." He nodded as AJ lay back down beside him.

"Did you say something to Matthew?" AJ asked him as Punk shook his head.

"No." Punk said, "Why?"

"I don't know. He just seemed quiet. Not really himself." AJ admitted, "I get it's a weird situation, but… we've moved on from it."

"It's just weird though." Punk sighed, "Like I'm sitting there, and I know that when he looks at you, it's not like he's looking at a friend or a little sister, he's looking at you the way I do." He said, "And it annoys me." He shrugged as AJ looked up at him.

"Well it shouldn't." AJ sighed, "He's a nice guy. He means no harm. And I'm sure he's got the point. He just wanted to come congratulate us. That's sweet." AJ nodded.

"It's weird." Punk said, "And your brother has no clue about any of this?" He asked.

"No, and he doesn't need to know. He'd kill Matthew if he found out we slept together." AJ shook her head.

"Be honest with me, did you ever have feelings for him?" Punk asked her.

"Honestly, no." AJ said, "I've never let myself have feelings until… you, you never gave me the choice, I couldn't help it with you." She smiled as Punk smirked cockily, "And that's why you're my baby daddy and why I'm here, in this bed with you." She smiled, "Forget about Matthew. He's not trying to come between us." She shook her head, "Nothing is gonna come between us." She smiled, pressing a soft kiss on his lips as he kissed back gently.

She was right. He didn't know why he was so worried. The scenario wasn't ideal but he knew nothing could hurt his relationship with AJ, and he felt a little bad for going for Matthew the way he did, he was just trying to protect AJ and keep her safe.

"I love you." Punk smiled.

"I love you." AJ smiled back, "But if this pain keeps up, you're going to the doctors and that is that." She warned him as he rolled his eyes.

"It's nothing." Punk smiled to her, ignoring the fact that it was definitely something, watching her as she just nodded, resting in against him as she quickly fell back asleep again whilst he tried to bide himself through the pain he was feeling.


	69. First Morning

**First Morning**

* * *

"Oh, look at her. Look." AJ smiled, sitting in their bed the next morning with Jessica lying in front of her, pulling her little bottom lip up and down gently which was causing Jessica to smile.

"Oh, look she's smiling." Punk chuckled to himself, walking over and crouching down at the side of the bed.

She'd got them up around 6am for her bottle and they were pretty pleased with that. AJ had read and heard horrible stories about new-borns keeping parents up every hour of the night, and she was terrified that's what would happen for them, but their little angel was pretty chilled out.

"She literally makes me wanna cry." AJ shook her head, she didn't think she was gonna get used to how much she loved and cared for Jessica.

"I can't believe she's smiling already. She's not even been here for a week." He laughed to himself, "We must be making a good first impression." He nodded to himself, walking back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"I think she just likes when I play with her lip." AJ told him, "Huh, baby? You like when mommy does that?" She asked, continuing to do it which made Jessica smile even more, "Oh my God, you're killing me, sweet girl." AJ sighed as Punk walked out of the bathroom, switching the light off and closing the door, "Hey, how is the pain?" AJ asked him.

"It's fine. It's gone." Punk told her truthfully. He wasn't feeling any sort of pain or discomfort, "You know I think I maybe just strained it." He nodded as AJ just made a face, "What?" He laughed.

"Phil, you should go to the doctors. Make an appointment with Lenny so he can check things out. What if it's something serious? You can't just diagnose yourself with a strain."

"It's not sore anymore. It's nothing. I've just been doing a lot more than what I have been these past few weeks." Punk assured her, "Don't worry about it, I'm fine." He nodded to her, "What do you fancy for breakfast?" He asked her.

"Oh, you're cooking?" AJ smiled.

"Yeah, it's our first breakfast the three of us." Punk said.

"Oh, yeah." AJ smiled, "Well, five if you count my brother and Matthew." She laughed a little.

"They had a lot of beer last night, they're gonna be up right now." Punk said.

"That's true." AJ nodded, "I'm thinking bacon." She nodded longingly, "And lots of coffee." She said as Punk smiled.

"I can whip something up." Punk nodded, "You good here?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm gonna change her and then I'll be down." AJ said as Punk nodded, leaving the room and heading downstairs. They'd already figured out a very simple system that whenever the other wanted to shower, they would just take turns of watching the baby, it was pretty easy and AJ didn't know why she was so worried about how they were going to manage.

"Ok, baby let's get you changed, huh?" AJ smiled, scooping Jessica up into her arms against her chest, getting up from the bed and heading on through next door to the nursery.

She put her down on her changing mat and got the appropriate things out to change her. Her and Punk had both executed their first diapers successfully, and things just seemed to be flowing pretty well. She knew it would for Punk considering he took care of his sister when she was a baby, but everything to her was so knew, and she felt proud of herself for doing so well.

"I think this is the one Matthew bought so… I'll put you in it whilst he's here." AJ said, putting Jessica in a clean onesie, popping the buttons before lifting her back up into her arms, "There we go." AJ smiled, "Now mommy's gonna go have her breakfast and you can have a little nap again." She said, heading down the stairs and through to the kitchen.

"Hey, I brought her little basket thing in here." Punk said as AJ nodded. They'd gotten a little sleeping basket type bassinet for when Jessica was asleep downstairs. It was orginally in the living room but he'd pulled it into the kitchen whilst they were both there.

"She'll look like the baby Jesus in here." AJ mumbled, placing Jessica down in the basket.

"I don't know him." Punk hummed whilst watching the bacon, "You want toast?" He asked her.

"Yes, please." AJ smiled, taking a seat at the table where Punk had already sat her coffee at, smiling as she looked on at Jessica falling asleep already in her little bassinet, "Phil, she's already asleep." AJ laughed a little.

"She's got it easy. I wanna sleep all day." Punk huffed a little as AJ smiled.

"We can. We can sleep whilst she is sleeping." AJ said, "That's the rules, right?" She shrugged as Punk nodded and laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Punk said just as Matthew walked into the kitchen holding his head.

"Hey, morning. You guys got any drugs for my head?" Matthew asked as Punk chose to ignore him and AJ looked up.

"Yeah, we do." AJ laughed a little, walking over to one of the kitchen cupboards, pulling out the medicine box they kept.

"Oh, she's here too." Matthew noticed and smiled, "Hey is that the onesie I got her?" He asked.

"Yeah, it is." AJ smiled, "Sweet, right?" AJ said, popping out two tablets and getting Matthew a glass of water to take with it.

"It is. She's got the chilled out life." He laughed to himself as AJ nodded, handing him the water and tablets, "Thank you." He said, taking the tablets, "Hey, I'm up and ready to go out so the living room is all yours."

"Oh, no you can go back to sleep if you like." AJ said, "We'll be in here for an hour or so anyway, there's no rush." AJ shook her head.

"No, I'm up anyway." Matthew said, "Thanks again for letting us stay. I know it must be a pain but… we appreciate it." He said as AJ nodded and smiled.

"It's ok." AJ assured him.

"I'm gonna go wake your brother up." Matthew announced, sitting the glass of water down before disappearing out of the kitchen.

"Phil." AJ said curiously.

"Mhm?" Punk turned around as AJ folded her arms and looked at him, "What?" He laughed.

"Did you say anything to him?" AJ wondered.

"What? No." Punk shook his head.

"You did." AJ nodded, "I know when you're lying, idiot." AJ said, "He won't even look your way. What the hell did you say to him?" She shook her head.

"I just... I just said that he shouldn't be making things uncomfortable for you, that was basically it." He shrugged.

"Basically?" AJ shook her head, "He's not making things uncomfortable. You don't have to speak for me." AJ reminded him.

"Look, I just find it weird that I'm sitting in the same room as him, knowing he's looking over at you not as a friend or like a little sister, but the same way I look at you. That's weird and if he really wanted to move on from this, then he wouldn't have come." He shrugged.

"Phil, he's my friend. He wanted to come congratulate us. That's a nice thing." AJ said, "Were you… were you nasty to him?" She asked.

"No, I said what I had to say." Punk said, turning back around.

"Which was?" AJ shook her head.

"If he makes you uncomfortable and if he tries anything then he can leave." Punk shrugged as AJ shook her head.

"He's not trying to come between us, what part of that don't you get? He said what he had to say, we talked about it and we've moved on, the only one remind us of it is you." She said as Punk just shook his head.

"I don't trust him. I mean the guy is a murderer for Christ sake." Punk scoffed.

"Oh, don't even bring that up." AJ rolled her eyes.

"Well it's true. I don't know what's going on in his head." Punk shrugged.

"Nothing. He's just a friend coming to congratulate us. That's it." AJ said, "You don't have to make this a big deal."

"I'm not. I'm just telling him where we stand." Punk shrugged.

"I think he gets the point." AJ shook her head.

"Look, this was the exact type of shit we didn't need coming home with Jessica. It should just be the three of us." He shook his head.

"I know that but my brother isn't the richest and at least one member of my family is acknowledging that I exist." AJ said, "Look, I know it maybe pisses you off but there's nothing that's gonna happen. It's not like he's gonna swoop in and make a move on me." She laughed a little, "He's just here to be my friend with my brother, that's it. The more you stress about it, the more it becomes a big thing." She shook her head, "And it doesn't need to be." She shook her head as Punk looked over at her.

"Ok, I'm sorry. I just… never got the chance to talk to him before, and I just wanted to make myself clear." Punk said, "I'm not trying to make it a big thing." He assured her, "I just wanna concentrate on you and Jessica. That's all I care about right now." He shrugged as AJ smiled and nodded.

"I know." AJ sighed, "Me too." She agreed, looking over at Jessica asleep in the little bassinet, "She's so peaceful." AJ smiled, "It's so sweet." She said as Punk smiled over just as Dominic walked into the kitchen.

"We're gonna head out, give you guys some space, we're meeting up with some friends." Dominic said, "I just wanted to come say morning to my niece." He smiled, walking over to the little bassinet and looking in, "She's real good. How'd she sleep?" He asked.

"Great." AJ nodded, "I don't wanna jinx it but she seems really settled." AJ nodded.

"Good, I'm glad." Dominic smiled, "And how are you?" He asked AJ.

"I'm good too." AJ smiled, "Still a little tired but that's normal." AJ nodded.

"Well make sure you catch up on your sleep when she's sleeping." Dominic said as AJ nodded.

"Who are you meeting up with?" AJ asked him.

"Just some old buddies. Should be out for most of the day." Dominic said.

"You guys don't have to leave just because you think we want you to." AJ laughed.

"No, we were meeting up with the guys anyway." Dominic assured her, "We'll be back later on." He nodded, kissing AJ on the cheek, nodding to Punk before leaving the house with Matthew.

"Breakfast." Punk nodded, sitting her plate down.

"This smells good." AJ smiled as Punk took a seat across from her, jerking a little when he sat down as he felt that niggling pain in his side, luckily without AJ noticing, "I hope they don't feel like they can't be here during the day." AJ said.

"No, well he said they were meeting up with friends anyway." Punk shrugged, ignoring the pain he was feeling, "I can be civil with Matthew and maybe I can… even apologise for getting in his face the way I did. I know feelings can't be helped, I just didn't want him to make you uncomfortable, especially not now when these few days are supposed to be special for us."

"You have good intensions, I know that." AJ smiled sweetly, "But it's not a big deal." AJ nodded as Punk just smiled, "Does this mean you're gonna make me breakfast every morning?" She said as he laughed and smiled.

"I don't know about that." Punk smiled, watching as AJ looked in on Jessica, smiling to himself as he saw how much joy the baby girl brought her. All he cared about right now was his little family and being there for them forever.


	70. Talk

**Talk**

* * *

Later on that day, Punk was lying on the sofa watching TV with baby Jessica fast asleep in her little basket bassinet beside him. He felt himself looking over at her every fifteen minutes just to reassure himself she was ok and still sleeping. He knew it was habits that they'd both grow out of.

AJ had gave into exhaustion and went for a nap after they spent some time together with Jessica. She was feeling the days catch up to her and knew herself it was best she rested when Jessica was asleep. Punk didn't mind keeping his eye on her anyway, he wasn't all that big on sleeping during the day anyway.

He was watching some sports highlights from the baseball games he'd missed over the past few days when there was a knock at the front door. He looked over to check on Jessica first and stood up, "You stay there." He teased, walking out of the living room and opening up the door where he saw Ian standing with a gift bag.

"Hey." Ian nodded.

"Oh, hi." Punk smiled.

"Congratulations, buddy. Welcome to the dad club." Ian nodded, giving Punk a brotherly embrace as Punk patted him on the back.

"I'm glad to be in it now." Punk chuckled.

"Yeah, it's a lot of fun." Ian said sarcastically, "This is from me and the wife." He extended the gift bag.

"You didn't have to give us anything." Punk scoffed, taking the bag from him.

"Oh, no. I did. You're a good worker, and I did the same with Dean." Ian nodded, following Punk into the living room, "Where is April?"

"She's having a nap." Punk nodded.

"Oh, yeah. That's normal. My wife napped for weeks with our second." Ian said, "Is she in there?" He pointed over to the bassinet beside the couch where Punk had been sitting.

"Yeah, she won't bite." Punk laughed, nodding for him to go see her as Ian headed over with his hands behind his back, peering over the bassinet and smiling as he saw Jessica lying fast asleep.

"Oh, man. She's cute." Ian nodded as Punk smiled, "Seth said she was cute but… Some babies can be kinda weird looking, you know?" He turned to Punk as Punk just chuckled.

"You're sick, Ian." Punk nodded.

"I know." Ian hummed, "No, she's got the charm for sure." Ian nodded, "A lot like April." He could see.

"Yeah, she's a lot like April." Punk nodded.

"Poor thing has a cop and a lawyer for parents. I'll be praying for her." Ian nodded as Punk smiled, pulling out the gifts from Ian.

"Hey, thanks for these. They're sweet." Punk nodded at the little outfits and the pair of extremely tiny converse, along with a little stuffed velvet rabbit. Everyone sure had been extremely kind with their gifts.

"My wife picked them." Ian waved his hand.

"Well, tell her thank you, from me and April." Punk nodded.

"I will." Ian nodded, "So how is it? What you expected?" Ian asked, turning back around to Punk who sat the gift bag over.

"It's a lot more chilled out. I thought we'd be running around like headless chickens. I thought she'd be screaming for most of the day." Punk said, "But she's like… just sleeping, then she wakes up for her bottle, and to get changed, and that she's back sleeping again." Punk laughed.

"You've been blessed with one of the good ones then." Ian nodded, "She does seem pretty chilled." He laughed, looking back over at Jessica, "Are you calling her Jessica or… Jess? Jessie? What is it?"

"Well I'm calling her Jessica." Punk nodded, "AJ will probably call her Jessica too but… Dean was already calling her Jess so… I don't know." He shrugged.

"Sweet name." Ian smiled, "How has April been? Just tired?"

"Yeah, just tired. She's been good. Her brother and his friend are staying here with us just now. I think she's been a little bummed that her parents haven't contacted her but… she's ok." Punk nodded.

"Well she's got all she needs I'm sure." Ian nodded, "How are you doing? You know, with the recovery?" He asked.

"Yeah, good." Punk nodded, "To be honest, I think I need to take it easy a bit, remember that I actually had the surgery, but it's going well." He said, "And I know Dean is doing well, with his recovery and the rehab." He said.

"Yeah, I spoke to him the other day on the phone." Ian said, "Looking forward to having you both back. You've been missed, for sure." He nodded, "Sick of these damn rookies not knowing what they're doing."

"C'mon, we're all rookies once." Punk smiled, "I mean, I think I could be back in a few weeks." He nodded as Ian looked across at him.

"You not got the fear yet?" Ian asked.

"The fear of what?" Punk asked.

"Well, some guys when they have kids, they come back and they ask me if they can avoid the… well the serious parts of the job, attending to gun fights, murder scenes, active shootings… that sort of thing." Ian said, "I know you're a different breed but… it's ok if you feel that way."

"No. I have no reason to. I know how to do my job safely. I don't need to be scared." Punk shook his head as Ian nodded.

"Yeah, Dean said the same when he had his kid. I know you two are always safe but, some guys just panic a little once they have a family, they… they're scared of getting hurt and what not." Ian said.

"No, I'll be fine." Punk waved his hand as Ian laughed and nodded.

"I don't doubt it." Ian said, "Well hey, I'll get out your hair, I just wanted to come by and hand that in, and have a look at the little thing. She's beautiful." He nodded.

"Thanks." Punk nodded. Although he knew he didn't have a very large family by blood, he really felt the love from all the people who he loved and to him, were his own family, especially since having Jessica.

* * *

Ian eventually left whilst Matthew returned to the house, walking on through to the living room where Punk was sitting on the couch again. He was waiting off for Jessica to wake up for her next feed.

"Hey." Matthew nodded to him as Punk nodded.

"Hey." Punk replied. He knew he told AJ he would apologise for how he'd come across to Matthew. It was like him to be verbally aggressive, not without a really good reason, and he felt like his reasoning with Matthew was a little petty and insensitive, "Good day out?" Punk asked him. He realised that in the midst of making sure that Matthew wasn't making AJ feel uncomfortable, he was making Matthew uncomfortable, and that was never what his intention was.

"Yeah, we met up with some old school friends." Matthew nodded, "It was good. Dom is just coming. He stopped by the store. He was gonna cook for everyone but I said that you guys would probably wanna do your own thing." Matthew said.

"No, that… that sounds like a good idea." Punk nodded, "I think AJ would like it." He said as Matthew nodded.

"Where is she?" Matthew asked.

"Sleeping. She was really tired." Punk said as Matthew nodded.

"How has the baby been?" Matthew asked, wondering over to the little bassinet, smiling as he looked on at Jessica lying fast asleep, "All good, I take it?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Punk smiled, "I assume she'll stir soon for her next feed." Punk said as Matthew nodded, "Hey, man listen." Punk stood up from the couch as Matthew looked across at him, "I… I just wanna apologise for how I came across yesterday." He said, "Whether you got feelings for AJ or not, you've not done anything to me or her that deserves you to be treated any differently." He said, "We're all human, we all got feelings, and I'm sorry I came at you like that, and if I made you feel uncomfortable." He said as Matthew shook his head.

"No, you're fine." Matthew nodded, "I'd probably react the same in your position. I know it's probably not easy for you but I really… I'm not here to stir shit. I would never do that to April or you… you've done a lot for me, even if we don't really know each other." He laughed a little as Punk smiled, "So I'm not here to be a problem. I really just came with Dom and wanted to congratulate you and AJ on the baby." He said, "That's it."

"Well I appreciate that." Punk nodded, "And I am sorry for not going about this the right way. Maybe we can all have dinner tonight and forget about the whole thing?" He said.

"Yeah, that'd be good." Matthew said, "You don't have to apologise. You've saved my ass from a lifetime in prison." He said, "And I don't want you to think I'm some dangerous lunatic killer." He said, "My head was a mess ever since my sister died and… when I found out about Greg, about him being the only one that night that could have stopped those guys from taking my sister… I just lost it, it was like I snapped." He said, "And yeah, I killed him." He nodded, "And I went back to Puerto Rico and it's stayed with me ever since, it's always gonna stay with me, and maybe I should have just gone to prison but… I appreciate that you had every right to arrest me and didn't." Matthew nodded, "I've just never got the chance to tell you that face to face." He said as Punk nodded.

"I got a little sister." Punk nodded, "So I… I don't even want to imagine what it felt like, going through what you did." He said, "And I'm not condemning murder by any means but… for the sake of the entire case that was going on, it felt right almost, to just put the entire blame on those four scumbags." Punk said as Matthew nodded, "It's not something we gotta reflect on. You don't gotta thank me. I did what I felt was best. Me and Dean aren't cops who… you know, arrest for fun, we do what's right." He said, "And maybe what's right is sending you to prison but… it's over with now and I'm looking forward to just moving on with this new chapter of my life, forgetting about all of that shit."

"Yeah, me too." Matthew said.

"We done with this intense conversation?" Punk smiled, extending his hand out as Matthew laughed a little and nodded, shaking Punk's hand.

"Yeah, we're done." Matthew said as Dominic came through the door, walking into the living room with some grocery bags.

"Ok, I'm cooking tonight." Dominic said, lifting up the bags, "SO get ready for the best food of your entire life." He told them as Punk just nodded and laughed, "Where is April?"

"Asleep. She was tired so she took a nap." Punk said.

"Well she better wake up for dinner." Dominic warned, "Oh and there was a blonde girl at the door but when I came she backed away and got back in her car." He shrugged, "Maybe wrong house or something I don't know." He shrugged "Permission to go use the kitchen?"

"Go ahead." Punk nodded, "Knock yourself out." He said.

"Ya'll ain't ready for how good this is gonna be." Dominic laughed to himself with excitement as he headed through to the kitchen.

"I'll make sure he doesn't make a mess or… burn anything." Matthew said, leaving the room as Punk just shook his head and smiled, turning around when he suddenly heard Jessica start to cry.

"Oh, hey." Punk said, walking over to the bassinet and lifting her up into his arms, "Hi, baby. You hungry?" He asked, looking down at her, "Yeah, let's get you your bottle." He hummed, walking off to the kitchen to go feed her.


	71. Devil's Advocate

**Devil's Advocate**

* * *

"That was super nice, Dominic. I didn't know you cooked." AJ smiled, handing her empty plate over to Dominic as they sat at the kitchen table. She'd woken up to the smell of cooking, and it reminded her of being a little girl. Having other people in their house automatically brought her back to growing up as well as the smell, and she was glad to see Punk and Matthew were getting along.

"Well I don't usually, but I figured since you guys have your hands full with Jessica, it'd be nice, and it can be a way of saying thanks too, for letting us stay." Dominic said, taking he dishes over to the sink.

"Well it was really nice. You should cook more." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, man. It was good." Punk agreed. Jessica had been fed and changed and was up in her crib asleep whilst the baby monitor sat close on the table for AJ and Punk to pick up on if Jessica started to cry.

"April, you remember when mom would try and bake for whatever bake sale we had at school, and half of it would be uncooked cause she didn't realise she had only half our oven on for like… three years." Dominic said as AJ laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I would give the cakes in and my teachers would discretely put them in the trash without me noticing." AJ nodded, "At least she tried, I suppose." AJ nodded.

"I would just buy cakes from the store on my way to school." Punk laughed as AJ smiled.

"We should have done that." AJ nodded, listening to the monitor suddenly as they heard cries, "I'll-"

"No, you stay. I'll get her." Punk assured her, getting up from the table and heading out of the kitchen to get Jessica.

"He's pretty hands on. You're lucky." Matthew nodded.

"Yeah he's real good with her, AJ." Dominic nodded.

"He is." AJ smiled, "He took care of his little sister when she was a baby so… I think he's got most tips and tricks locked down." She nodded.

"Oh, really?" Dominic said, "What age is his sister then?"

"Twenty." AJ said, "I think he was like… fourteen or thirteen maybe when she was born." AJ nodded, "Their mom wasn't really around" AJ nodded.

"I didn't know there was such a big age gap." Dominic said whilst cleaning up doing the dishes.

"Yeah. They get on pretty well." AJ said, "She's not had it easy but she's doing good for now."

"You get on with her?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, she's like a sister to me." AJ nodded.

"Getting with Phil has really made you trust people again." Matthew noticed, "Before him you… well, you didn't have friends or let anyone in, now you do." He said, "I'm glad." He nodded.

"I am too." Dominic nodded to her.

"I was ok with being on my own so… it made sense to start letting people in." AJ nodded, "Feel like I have a family again. After Sofia died I didn't feel like I did." She admitted truthfully, "Everything just feel so disconnected but… now I feel like I do have a family. It's nice." She smiled as Dominic smiled over to her. All he wanted was to see her happy.

"Go put your feet up." Dominic told her, "I bought some ice-cream for later so maybe you can fit in a nap between now and then." He said as AJ smiled.

"I really am spoiled today." AJ laughed, standing up from the table, "I'm gonna go check to see if Phil is ok. Thank you for dinner, both of you." She smiled, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.

She got to the top of the stairs and walked into the nursery where she saw Punk sitting on the rocking chair with Jessica cradled in his arms, awake but not making any noise.

"Hey." AJ whispered, "She ok?" AJ asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I think she just woke up. She doesn't need changed." He said, "Maybe a bad dream." He said.

"What is she gonna be having a bad dream about?" AJ laughed a little, "She's just a few days old."

"I don't know. Maybe… giant, brought to life diapers coming to get her." Punk shrugged as AJ shook her head and smiled.

"Hey, baby." AJ whispered, crouching down by the rocking chair as she looked on at Jessica, kissing her cheek softly, "You have a bad dream? Daddy make it all better, huh?" She said, stroking her cheek softly as the baby girl wriggled a little in Punk's arms, "We love you so much." AJ said quietly as Punk smiled.

"She's falling asleep." Punk noticed as AJ stroked Jessica's cheek softly until the baby girl fell back asleep in his arms, "We're good." Punk nodded quietly as AJ smiled.

"Don't jinx us." AJ shook her head as Punk stood up, walking over to the crib and putting Jessica back down, giving her a kiss before they left the nursery, "You and Matthew seem to be getting along." AJ said, standing outside the nursery upstairs.

"Yeah, well I told you I would apologise, didn't I?" Punk said, "We talked earlier." He nodded, "I apologised for dealing with things the wrong way, he said that he was moving on, thanked me for basically not putting him in prison." He shook his head, "And then we agreed just to put it behind us." He nodded.

"Good." AJ smiled, "I'm glad. There's no point in it creating tension. It was nice, having dinner together, I thought with them being around it would be harder but… it's been nice." AJ nodded.

"Yeah." Punk smiled, "I'm just glad to see you happy." He said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I can tell she just makes you smile whenever you see her." He said.

"I can't help it. She's way too cute." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she is." Punk said, "When I was talking to Ian earlier, he's looking forward to me and Dean coming back, I told him it could be in a few weeks." He nodded.

"Oh, really? You think?" AJ folded her arms, "What about these pains you've been having?"

"I told you, they're just strains, April. It's nothing to be worried about." Punk nodded, "It'll be good to get back to work. I've been off for… way too long." He admitted truthfully.

"Yeah, you're starting to pace a lot." She said, "Hey, it's when you feel ready, baby. I don't want you going back too soon and hurting yourself." She shook her head.

"I'll give it a few weeks." Punk nodded, "And I'll talk to Dean about it, see how he's feeling, I know he might need a little longer."

"How has he been?" AJ asked.

"Good." Punk said, "Yeah, he's been having a lot of family time. Just him, Lia and Eva. I think it's helping him a lot, and that's him completed the rehab program." He nodded, "He's trying really hard and it's paying off. He's doing good." Punk nodded.

"Good. I'm glad. I know Lia has just been a bag of nerves these last few months." AJ said, "But at least he's got over the hard part, now it's about… staying on the right path." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, we'll get there." Punk nodded as AJ wrapped her arms around him, hugging him and resting her head on his chest as he ran his hand down the back of her head.

"Dominic has ice-cream too." AJ told him.

"He really is treating us." Punk said as AJ laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, he is." AJ said, "I'm glad he came, and Matthew. I was kinda upset, more than I let onto, about my parents not even so much as calling me but… we've got our family, the ones who care about us and the ones we care about… and that's enough." She said, looking up at him as he smiled and nodded.

"Mhm." Punk smiled, "I love you." He said, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her lips.

* * *

"Phil text me to tell me that Ian was around at his place, dropping hints about us coming back to work when we're ready." Dean said, walking into he and Lia's bedroom where Lia was already in bed, sitting against the headboard.

"How would you feel about that?" Lia asked him as he got into bed beside her.

"I'm not sure." Dean admitted, "I know it's been a tough couple of months. Tough year to be honest." He admitted, "But… I feel like I'm doing good." He turned to her as she smiled, "I'm doing good, right?" He asked.

"I'm so proud of you. You're doing amazing." Lia took his hand as he nodded.

"So maybe having work would… it would help things return to normal." He said.

"You don't have to go back just because Phil does back, remember." Lia said, "I'll support you one hundred percent, as long as you feel ready and healthy enough."

"I do. I feel good. Physically and mentally." Dean nodded, "Kinda surprised that Phil is so eager to go back just after Jessica being born."

"You went straight back to work after we had Eva." Lia reminded him, "I'm sure he means in a few weeks anyway."

"Yeah, probably." Dean said, "I just wanna make sure it's the right decision I'm making, you know?" He said as Lia nodded.

"Hey, if you feel ready, mentally and physically, then trust it and go with it. You're right, maybe getting back into a normal routine will be the icing on the cake for you, for us." Lia said, "I just want you to be happy, and healthy."

"I just keep thinking… what if Phil wasn't my blood type or… what if I didn't even have a good enough friend like Phil to help me." Dean shook his head.

"We don't have to think about that. You shouldn't torture yourself." Lia said.

"I owe him my life." Dean shook his head, "How do you… repay someone for that?" He said. He was wondering about what he could do for Punk, to thank him for what he'd done but anything he thought of just didn't seem enough.

"Phil did it because he loves you, no other reason." Lia said, "And soon enough you'll both be back at work, being both your… annoying selves." She said as Dean smiled and nodded.

"That's true." Dean said, "I think Phil is trying to be the better man with this Matthew situation."

"What situation?" Lia asked.

"Well you know AJ's brothers friend, Sofia's brother? Well he admitted a few months back, when Punk was in surgery, that he had feelings for AJ." Dean said as Lia raised her brows, "I know, and now they're staying at the house right now and I think Phil is finding it hard."

"That's an awkward situation, especially when they've just taken Jessica home." Lia said.

"Yeah. I'd feel weird too in Punk's situation. But I guess he's keeping his cool." Dean nodded.

"So her parents didn't come over then?" Lia asked.

"No." Dean shook his head, "I think she expected it, though." Dean said as Lia nodded.

"It's still a shame. I mean how much do we depend on our mom's?" Lia said.

"I know but they got us, and Phil's sister, AJ's brother. They got family, plenty of it." Dean nodded.

"Yeah, of course." Lia smiled, "How you been feeling? You got any pain or anything I should worry about?" She said as he laughed a little.

"No, I'm all good. No pain. I feel like a new man. Phil's liver was a good one." He teased as Lia smiled, curling into him in bed, glad to have her Dean back, to see him healthy and happy on the right path.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cami had been sat listening for her door to go in her apartment for most of the night, almost running to it when she heard the knock. She leapt off the couch in her sweats and tank top, looking through the peep hole and quickly opening up the door, barely giving enough room to let the person.

"Have you got it?" Cami asked.

"What's the magic word?" Justin smiled as Cami rolled her eyes, digging into his pockets herself and finding her fix, rushing back over to the sofa as Justin folded his arms and adjusted his cap on his head, "Someone is eager tonight. Not even 8pm." He noticed, "What's the catalyst for the downfall then?"

"Try giving your kid up for adoption." Cami mumbled as she tightened the rubber around her arm just above the crease half way.

"No one forced you to do that." Justin said, "I wouldn't have minded playing step dad, you know."

"Yeah, and look at us. We're not exactly parent material. I did it for him." Cami told him, "You can go now."

"Where's my thank you?" Justin laughed, watching Cami line the needle up. She wasn't foreign to the process that was for sure, and had completed the task in just a matter of seconds, sinking back against the couch and placing her hand on her forehead.

"You know I don't got money." Cami said.

"You have a job." Justin said.

"Yeah well I've… missed a few shifts." Cami told him.

"Only gonna be a matter of time before your big brother finds out you're back on the shit. And it's my ass he always comes for." Justin said.

"He won't find out." Cami said, more relaxed as she slouched back on the couch, "He got a baby now, he's not gonna pay attention to what I'm doing." She shook her head, "You need to go now."

"Well if you're not gonna give me money, you're gonna give me something." Justin said.

"Go away." Cami laughed, "You're so desperate." She said.

"I'm not just gonna give you this shit for free, Cami. I put my neck out when I get this stuff." Justin said.

"That's your choice." Cami shrugged, "Go away now, the door is over there." She pointed.

"I'm not going until-"

"She said leave." Rianne walked out of the bedroom, folding her arms and staring across at Justin, "You have three seconds." She said as Justin looked over at her and put his hands up, "That's what I thought." She nodded.

"You're not getting anymore until I start seeing some money, or alternative payments." He told Cami before walking out of the apartment door.

Rianne walked around the sofa where Cami was sitting, pretty much spaced out, watching as her mother cleared up everything she had used.

"You feel better?" Rianne asked her as Cami nodded.

"Yeah." Cami nodded calmly.

"Good." Rianne nodded before taking everything out to the trash.


	72. Wrong Direction

**Wrong Direction**

* * *

A few days later and Dominic and Matthew had returned back to Puerto Rico, letting Punk and AJ really get used to it just being the three of them at home. Jessica was still settling in well. Some nights she woke them up a little fussy but it wasn't hard to get her back to sleep. Sometimes it was like she just wanted to be held for a little while.

Punk was still experiencing some on and off pain but was refusing to tell anyone as he genuinely believed that it was just because he was doing a lot more, moving a lot more, picking Jessica up and down and other things he wasn't doing beforehand.

Punk was out grocery shopping as they really desperately needed to fill their cupboards, having waited it out long enough, whilst AJ was at home with Jessica. She was feeling bright and good after catching up on sleep over the past few days. She was well educated about her bipolar disorder after pregnancy, and how vulnerable she was to having episodes, but she was making sure she kept on top of things.

She was lying watching TV with a cup of coffee whilst Jessica was fast asleep in the little bassinet beside her, when there was a knock at the door. She stood up, peeping in at Jessica to make sure she was asleep, before walking on out of the living room, opening up the front door and shaking her head at the last person she expected to come to her house and visit her.

"Dana?" AJ shook her head, looking on at the councillor from the DA's office whom she always clashed with in court most often than not.

"Hey." Dana smiled pleasantly, "I uh… I just wanted to say congratulations." She nodded, extending a card as AJ took it from her with a smile.

"Thank you." AJ nodded, "Come in." She said as Dana walked in, closing the door behind her and following AJ into the living room.

"I know you're probably the last person you expect to be here but… I can… I can separate business from real life." She nodded.

"Well thank you." AJ smiled, "This was sweet of you." She nodded as Dana just smiled.

"Is she in there?" Dana asked, looking over at the bassinet as AJ nodded, watching her walk over and look on, "Oh, she's adorable." Dana smiled, "She's a lot like you." Dana looked up at AJ who sat the card over beside the others and nodded.

"Yeah, everyone has said that so far." AJ smiled.

"Oh, AJ. She's beautiful." Dana nodded as AJ smiled.

"Thank you." AJ said as Dana looked up at her, "Not missing me too much at work, are you?" She smiled.

"The court rooms are extremely quiet, let me tell you." Dana laughed a little, "I guess I am kinda missing you. You always made things a little more interesting." She nodded.

"I am missing it." AJ nodded, "But I'm not… I'm not desperate to go back just yet." She smiled.

"Yeah, I felt the same after my first. I just wanted to be at home all the time with her." Dana said, "I think I didn't go back until a year after." She said.

"I don't know when I'll go back. It's not even crossed my mind." AJ laughed a little, "I know Phil is itching to go back, but he's been for a while after his surgery so I can understand."

"How is he doing?" Dana asked. They were never best of friends, more like enemies, but they were still human beings who interacted a lot in the work place, and they could put aside all the business feelings they had for each other.

"He's good." AJ nodded, "Yeah, he's doing good."

"She have him wrapped around her finger yet?" Dana smiled.

"Yeah, pretty much. Didn't take her long." AJ said.

"No, well she's definitely got the charm for it." Dana said, "I just wanted to swing by, see how you're doing." Dana nodded.

"I'm doing good." AJ said, "Thank you for coming, you didn't have to."

"I'm sure we'll be back to hating one another soon enough." Dana smiled as AJ just chuckled and nodded.

* * *

"I thought you two hated each other." Punk chuckled a little, unpacking the grocery bags whilst AJ sat at the table feeding Jessica her bottle, telling Punk about her visit from Dana and how much love she was feeling after having Jessica.

"Well, maybe we do in court but… she also spoke to me a few months back. I'd just won a case, I was having an off day, she talked to me outside." AJ said, "We're human beings at the end of the day." She shrugged as Punk nodded.

"Well that was nice of her to come see you." Punk agreed, "More diapers." He showed her, lifting out the diapers from the bag, "They actually had an offer on so I got two for the price of one."

"Oh, baby." AJ smirked.

"I know, right?" Punk nodded.

"You're such a dad already." AJ smiled. She loved to see how he had adapted to being a father so naturally. He was so great with Jessica and it was a big deal for her to see the father of her first baby be so involved and so in love.

"I know. I was really looking to see which ones were better for her. I'm a mess." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled.

"No, I like it." AJ smiled, "She's lucky to have a daddy like you." She nodded, looking down at Jessica whilst feeding her, "Huh, baby? You're so lucky." She nodded, "And we're so lucky to have you." She nodded as Punk smiled.

"I got you some chocolate." Punk told her, continuing to unpack the grocery bags, not realising just how much he'd gotten whilst stocking their cupboards.

"You get so many points today. Making breakfast, morning diaper, grocery shopping and buying me chocolate." AJ said, "It's like you love me." She chuckled.

"Right?" Punk nodded, "We can share it after dinner." He said, putting it in the cupboard.

"Who said anything about sharing?" AJ pouted.

"It's a twenty four piece bar." Punk laughed.

"Do not underestimate me." AJ said.

"Yeah, last time you wanted to prove this point to me you ate the twenty four pieces and then threw up straight after it." Punk arched a brow as AJ just tutted, "So what else did Dana have to say?" He asked, opening up the fridge to start putting things away in there.

"Just asking how I was. Who you were. Also saying that it's normal that I don't wanna go back to work any time soon. She didn't go back until like a year after her first baby." AJ said.

"She's like a week old, you don't gotta think about work." Punk shook his head.

"I know but… I just couldn't imagine leaving her." AJ admitted, looking down at Jessica, "She's too sweet to leave." She said as Punk smiled.

"When you're ready to go back, that's when you go, whether that be… a few months, a year, whatever, it's how you feel." Punk nodded.

"You're pretty eager to get back." AJ pointed out.

"I'm not eager. I've just been off for a long time. You know I start getting agitated." Punk said as AJ nodded, "It wouldn't be aggressive shifts anyway." He said.

"Yeah, you're right. You still need to be careful. That surgery is still fresher than you think." She reminded him, "I'm not happy about these strains that you're telling me you have. I don't think it's normal and I'm worried." She admitted.

"Hey, it's fine. I've not had pain for a few days now. It was just those first few days, and it wasn't even pain, it was just a little twinge every now and then, because I've not been doing as much." Punk said, "Stop the worrying, woman." He shook his head.

"You know I'll always find something to worry about." AJ shrugged as Punk nodded, "Hey, I forgot to tell you, I was looking at the cards and Ian called Jessica, Jess on his card." AJ raised a brow, "I think we're the only ones calling her Jessica." She laughed a little.

"I'm always gonna call her Jessica." Punk said adamantly.

"Dean calls her Jess. Ian is calling her Jess. My brother was calling her Jessie." She shook her head, "Poor girl is gonna be confused."

"Dean told me we should call her Jess too." Punk said, "So that when we call her Jessica, she'll know that's when she's in trouble." He said, "Which is smart but… I mean, she's gonna be an angel her entire life so… why would I be giving her into trouble?" Punk shrugged optimistically as AJ smiled.

"You're optimistic. You realise it's a daughter we have?" She asked, "If she's anything like me, you're in for a real treat."

"Oh, yeah? And what were you like as a kid?" Punk rolled his eyes.

"A psychopath." AJ chuckled to herself, "I used to drown my barbies." She told him as Punk peeped his head from around the fridge to look at her, "I also had to move schools when I first started because of fighting." She nodded.

"Fighting? At what age?"

"Like six or seven." AJ shrugged.

"Well lucky she's got my angel DNA running through her then." Punk scoffed as AJ laughed.

"Yeah, right." AJ laughed.

"Why were you drowning your dolls?" Punk shook his head.

"I don't know, it was fun." AJ shrugged as Punk shook his head, "I also tried making the fake guillotine." She said, "Dominic helped me with it."

"I'm so glad I was nowhere near you as a child." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled.

"I was sweet too, sometimes." AJ nodded as Punk just shook his head, closing the fridge over and walking over to the table where AJ was now burping Jessica after her bottle.

He made his way behind AJ so he could look at Jessica's little face, smiling as it rested against AJ's shoulder.

"Don't go confusing Jessica with a doll now." Punk worried as AJ laughed a little.

"I'm not six anymore." AJ scoffed as Punk made his way around the opposite side of the table to take a seat.

"Oh, yeah. Cause it was appropriate at the age of six. My mistake." Punk shook his head as AJ just smiled.

"What are you making me for dinner?" She asked him.

"I don't know, spaghetti or something." Punk shrugged, "Whatever you want."

"Surprise me." AJ smiled, finishing winding Jessica, cradling her back in her arms and smiling down at her, "I think she needs changed." AJ said, noticing Jessica a little uncomfortable and gurning a little.

"I'll change her." Punk nodded, "You go in and put your feet up." He told her as AJ nodded, standing up and passing Jessica over to him, "C'mon, let's go get you changed, huh? Yeah, I'm your favourite." He smirked quietly.

"I heard that." AJ shook her head whilst he walked on upstairs with Jessica, heading into her nursery and putting her down on her changing table.

He had just placed her down, about to reach into the drawer connected to the changing table for a diaper when he felt the pain in his lower abdomen, this time the sharpest it had been, causing him to latch onto the changing table.

"Jesus Christ." He bit his lip, feeling the pain take the air from him for a few seconds, breathing through it until it subsided slowly. He took a few minutes, standing still as he looked down at Jessica curling her little hands as she looked up at him, groaning to himself as he realised the pain he thought was going away, was still very much there.

* * *

"Hey, Cami." Seth knocked at Cami's apartment door, holding a bag of take-out food as he waited for an answer. Due to everything they'd been through, they'd automatically grown very close, and throughout everything they definitely leaned on each other for support. Even if it just meant having dinner together some nights or going to the movies. It wasn't anything sexual, even though Seth was very attracted to her, personality and looks, but he wasn't in the right frame of mind yet, and he didn't think she was either. It was good they could be there for each other as friends for the time being.

"Cam, it's me." Seth knocked on the door again. They always had dinner on a Friday night once Seth got done for work, and he knew Cami hadn't text or called to cancel on him, so he found it a little strange.

Just by chance, he opened up the door and found it open, walking on in and closing it behind him. He could see clearly that Cami was asleep on the sofa and laughed to himself a little, realising that was obviously why she didn't answer.

It wasn't until he walked around the couch where he saw the needle and obvious drugs sitting on the coffee table, the rubber band still around her arm as she lay passed out on the sofa.

He dropped the take out bag immediately and rushed over to her, "Cami." Seth shook his head with worry, crouching down at the couch, looking on at the drugs, being able to identify it as heroine from his respective job, "Cami." Seth shook her a little, taking her pulse which was still there, "Cami, wake up." He cupped her cheeks, giving her a shake by her shoulders as Cami opened her eyes and looked at him with confusion.

"W-What? What's going on?" Cami shook her head, not even knowing where she was.

"Cami, what the hell are you doing?" Seth shook his head with worry.


	73. Exposed

**Exposed**

* * *

"Drink it." Seth said, extending a cup of water to Cami who was sat on her couch after Seth had pulled her up and cleared away any drugs and the needle around her.

"No. Go away." Cami groaned, trying to lie back down but Seth kept her up.

"No, I'm not fucking leaving you like this. Drink it." Seth told her angrily, extending the water as Cami looked at him. She was still spaced out but not completely. She took the cup of water from him and took a small sip, "Cami, what the hell are you doing? How long have you been doing this?" He asked.

"Since I had the baby." Cami told him, taking another drink of water as Seth sat beside her, "Every time I close my eyes I just… think about him and I just… I wanted to black out." She shook her head as Seth sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Is it your ex? Is he supplying you with it again?" Seth asked her.

"Yeah, and my mom has been paying… well, giving me some money for it." Cami said.

"Your mom? Why?" Seth shook his head.

"Because she saw I was in pain and I just needed it to stop. She understands me in that way." Cami nodded.

"What kind of mom encourages this sort of thing? Cami, you worked so hard to get clean. You love your job and you've been doing good… we've been doing good, dealing with all of this-"

"I'm just really good at faking things." Cami smiled to him, "This is why… this… this is why I had to give him away." She nodded, "And this is why you shouldn't even be around me. I'm no good for anyone. I'm no good for myself." She laughed to herself.

"That's not true." Seth said, "I enjoy being with you. You should have told me you were finding it harder than you let onto. We could have got help together. I would have joined you in… whatever therapy or support you went to-"

"Therapy." Cami snorted and laughed, "Me? In therapy? I don't think so." Cami said.

"Well it's better than doing this to yourself. You wanna die in your twenties? Your barely out your teens. You're way, way too young to be wasting your life like this. Phil would be devastated if he found out about this-"

"Phil won't even notice me anymore. He's got his own family. His own life." Cami shrugged, "He won't care."

"He cares way more than you think." Seth told her, "You're his little sister. He's not gonna forget about you. He's gonna find out about this and you know fine well he's just gonna march you to rehab or make you cold turkey quit." Seth said, "Or you could not let it get to that, and I can help you through this."

"What are you gonna do?" Cami laughed, "You just feel sorry for me. You feel bad that you knocked me up and now this is what's happening. I bet you wish I just… had an abortion. That way it's completely out our minds." She nodded.

"No, I don't." Seth said, "What we done, what we decided, was the best option. Ok, our son, he might not know who we are and we… we're not gonna see him grow up, but he's out there and he has a family who loves him, so much." Seth nodded, "That makes me feel a lot better." He said as Cami looked at him tearfully, "We might not have been able to take care of him, we might not have had the stability he needed, but the main thing is he has it now, he has parents who are gonna love him, spoil him, have stability for him." Seth said as Cami nodded, drying her tears, "You're so brave. You could have caved in and… changed your mind, you probably bonded with him a lot more than I did, he wasn't growing inside me for nine months." He pointed out, "There's so much we can do to move forward but… doing this to yourself, to your body, that's not the way to deal with it." He shook his head.

"It just hurts." Cami cried as Seth nodded, pulling her into him as she curled into him, seeking comfort in the one person who understood what she was going through, because he was going through it too.

"It's gonna get better." Seth nodded, "I'm not gonna let you ruin yourself with this." He shook his head, promising himself and her that he wasn't going to let her do this to herself, "It's gonna be ok." He sighed.

* * *

"Oh, man. Look at her. Look, she really likes when you play with her lip." Punk nodded, sitting cross legged in bed with Jessica lying in front of him, playing with her lip which was causing the baby girl to smile at him.

"She does." AJ smiled, getting into her pyjamas, "Her little smile is the best." AJ nodded.

"It is." Punk shook his head, looking down at her and smiling. Her smile was so sweet and innocent. It was like a small little smirk every time he pulled her lip down gently. It was the sweetest thing he'd ever seen before.

"She does it when you tap her nose too." AJ nodded, "She's so sensitive." She said as Punk tried it, tapping the baby girls nose softly as Jessica smirked again whilst her little fists balled together, her eyes shutting over as she still smiled in her sleep.

"She kills me." Punk sighed, "I wanna make her smile all the time." He shook his head as AJ smiled, getting into bed beside him as she looked on at Jessica fast asleep on the mattress in front of Punk.

"You should put her in her crib." AJ nodded, "I want some alone time." She smiled, kissing his neck as he laughed.

"You're not allowed that sort of alone time." Punk reminded her.

"I'm allowed to kiss your face off, though." AJ said as he smiled and nodded.

"I suppose you are." He chuckled, "Ok, I'll go put her down." He nodded.

"Ok." AJ smiled, leaning forward and kissing Jessica on the nose as the baby girl smiled again causing AJ to chuckle quietly, "Sweet dreams, angel." She said as Punk smiled, getting off the bed and lifting her up into his chest as he left the room whilst AJ smiled to herself.

She was just getting comfortable in bed when she heard her phone start to vibrate on the bedside table. She looked over and saw it was Dominic, answering it and putting the phone to her ear.

"Hey." AJ said casually, "Bit late." She admitted.

"AJ, you ok?" Dominic asked, a little out of breath with worry in his tone of voice, causing AJ to sit up immediately.

"What's wrong?" AJ asked, "I'm fine." She said.

"Cops came for Matthew." Dominic said as AJ shook her head.

"What? Why?" AJ stood up.

"Because of Greg. Someone must have spilled and… and I don't know who." Dominic spoke through the phone, standing outside the police station in Puerto Rico, "I don't know if Matthew is gonna be transferred and I don't know… I don't know if Phil's or Dean's names have been dragged into it too." Dominic panicked as AJ shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

"What the hell, Dominic?" AJ panicked.

"I know." Dominic sighed, "I know." He said, "Maybe… Maybe you and Phil should get out of town for a while. To avoid all of this."

"That just looks guilty." AJ shook her head, "Who the hell would know?" AJ shrieked.

"I have no idea. They're not saying anything. Just that they're arresting him on the murder of Greg after forthcoming evidence and an anonymous tip." He said as AJ placed her hand over her mouth with worry, "AJ, if Phil and Dean are dragged into this-"

"They can't be. Who… Who would know about it?" AJ asked herself.

"I don't know." Dominic said with frustration.

"When did he get arrested?" AJ asked.

"About an hour ago." Dominic told her, "AJ, I'd get out of town for a while, I'm serious." Dominic worried, "For Phil's sake, for your sake."

"We can't just disappear, Dominic." AJ shook her head, suddenly listening as there was a loud knock at their front door. AJ quickly turned around, her hand feeling weak as it tried to hold onto her phone, "Dominic." She whispered, "There's someone at the door."

"April, do not answer it." Dominic warned, "April." He spoke as AJ hung up and dropped her phone on the bed, rushing around the bed and out of the room where she saw Punk beginning to head downstairs to answer the door.

"Phil." AJ shook her head as Punk paused and looked at her with confusion, "Phil, don't answer it." AJ whispered as Punk raised a brow.

"Why not?" Punk laughed.

"Matthew has been arrested, Dominic just called me. They've arrested him for Greg's murder. New evidence and an anonymous tip." AJ told him quietly, "Do not answer that door." AJ shook her head.

"Hey, open up! This is the police!" Banging began to occur on their front door as Punk looked at AJ and gulped.

AJ placed her shaking hand over her mouth as she looked at Punk.

"Go back into the room." Punk told her, "I lead the case, remember? It doesn't have to be all bad." He said, "Ok? Trust me." He nodded slowly.

"What if they know you know?" AJ asked him.

"I don't see how they could." Punk whispered.

"Hey, Phil! C'mon, open the door up!" The banging continued as Punk looked down the rest of the stairs.

"I don't think you should answer it." AJ shook her head.

"I know these people. I work with them. It'll be fine." Punk nodded to her, "Just go back into the room."

"No, I'm staying here." AJ said as Punk nodded, climbing down the rest of the stairs as he walked on ahead to the front door, taking a deep breath as he opened it up where he saw two police officers standing.

"Hey, Phil." One of the cops nodded as Punk looked at them both.

"Everything ok?" Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I uh… we… don't exactly wanna do this but…" He reached for his handcuffs as Punk watched and gulped, "Phillip Brooks, we're arresting you on conspiring in the murder of Greg Walters." He said, turning Punk around and cuffing him, dribbling out the rest of the speech.

"I know the speech." Punk nodded, "I didn't do anything." He shook his head, watching as AJ came running down the stairs.

"What's going on?" AJ asked, "What are you doing? Take those off him." AJ demanded.

"April, it's fine." Punk nodded to her, "Just… call Dean, I'll be out of custody in no time." He nodded to her.

"Dean has been arrested too." The cop said as Punk closed his eyes and shook his head, "You're in the shits, Brooks. Big time." He nodded as Punk opened his eyes back up, trying to keep calm as AJ looked at him tearfully.

"I'll be fine." Punk nodded to her, "I'll call you. I'll be out in no time." He told her.

"Phil." AJ shook her head, her voice crackling as she realised the danger he was in, unknown to what was happening, who knew that they knew, what evidence had come up. It was terrifying.

"It's fine." Punk nodded to her as she shook her head, "It'll be fine." He said, being escorted out of the house as AJ watched with terror and fear, watching as he was put in the back of the cop car and driven away, not believing this was actually happening. Something that never felt could be explained or exposed, had now brought them more danger than she ever thought.


	74. Consequences

**Consequences**

* * *

"We shouldn't panic just now." Lia shook her head after making her way over to Punk and AJ's place once they had both called each other to discuss the fact their boyfriends had both been arrested.

"Why shouldn't we panic?" AJ asked, pacing the living room ever since Punk was taken away. If it wasn't for her having Jessica settled in her nursery, she would have gone to the police station to start rhyming of all the entitlements Punk had, all the entitlements and acts she learned in law school that were programmed into her mind.

"Because we don't know if it's as bad as what we think. Matthew was the murderer. Phil and Dean didn't see it taken place, they weren't present at the scene, all they have against them is that they were told about it. Surely there are ways out against that. You're a lawyer."

"I know the DA." AJ shook her head, "They'll squeeze and squeeze a stone to get blood from it, and if it means taking down other people, then that's what they'll do." AJ nodded, "They're gonna need lawyers. I-I can't do anything."

"We don't even know if they're gonna be involved, AJ." Lia said, trying to stay positive for both of them, "Look at me." She said as AJ took a deep breath, her eyes teary as she looked over at Lia, "Just take a second, compose yourself, I know you're a strong woman, I know that." Lia nodded as AJ nodded with her, taking deep breaths, "They can't hold them for that long, not without a real reason, so they'll be released soon and we'll hear what's going on."

"Phil said he'd call me." AJ nodded, "I've watched similar cases to this. Where someone knows about a murder and somehow gets dragged into it. I know how the system works, Lia." AJ shook her head.

"And think about the reputation Dean and Phil have. They're good guys. Family men. They're respected in their job and everything they do." Lia reminded her as AJ nodded, knowing that to be true, "We're not gonna freak out just yet." She said, "Not when we don't know what's even going on." She said, "We just have to be patient, ok?" She said as AJ nodded, running her hand through her hair. She was only worried because she now how twisted the justice system could be when prosecuting and arresting, and she couldn't quite comprehend the thought of her boyfriend actually being brought down in a murder case.

* * *

"You're not my favourite right now." Ian said, slamming a folder on the table in the interview room as Punk lifted his head from his arms, still cuffed as he looked up at Ian.

"I didn't do anything." Punk shrugged, "So… you have no reason to keep me here. I know my damn rights."

"You didn't do anything, that's fine." Ian nodded, taking a cell phone out of a plastic bag which Punk could see was obviously in custody, watching Ian sit the phone down, pressing play on a voice recording as Punk listened to what appeared to be his voice and Matthews voice.

The more he listened to it, the more he realised it had been recorded when he and Matthew spoke things out a few days ago, when he apologised and Matthew thanked him for not arresting him. Everything they said very much pointed the finger to Matthew and also to the fact that he and Dean knew about the murder of Greg.

"Who the hell took that recording?" Punk shook his head, his mind starting to wander as he tried to figure out who was even near their house at that time, "I assume that's the anonymous tip?" He nodded.

"You don't have to be concerned about that." Ian said, "Really, Phil?" He shook his head as Punk looked down, "Do you have any idea just how serious this is for you? And for Dean? You're a god damn police officer!" He yelled as Punk looked up at him, "What the fuck were you playing at?!"

"I know it sounds bad but… at the time we found out, we were knee deep in Sofia's case." Punk nodded, "I was concentrated on that and only that, so when I found out it was her sister, I tried to… think like a human being and not a police officer-"

"Don't give me that shit." Ian said, "You knew about a murder, one which you were trying to solve, and you ignored it. That is a crime and you will be heckled by a prosecutor and you will be dragged down into this whole thing. You and Dean. You could do time. Serious time for this." Ian nodded, "Am I getting through to how much shit you're in? And guess what? If you do time, you lose your fucking job and you never work in this station or any station for that matter, ever again." Ian said as Punk looked up at him, beginning to realise just how much of an awful position he was in, "Does April know?"

"Know what?" Punk asked quietly.

"About the murder?" Ian asked.

"No." Punk said immediately, "She knows nothing." He said as Ian just nodded.

"Yeah, you'd say that anyway." Ian said, "You have… absolutely fucked up." He nodded.

"Yeah, ok. I fucking get it." Punk nodded, "Are you gonna tell me who the anonymous tip is? Is it someone I know?" He asked.

"It's the fucking DA. Which makes this even worse for you." Ian said, "Dana, that… blonde bitch, the counsellor." He said, "She said she was coming to your house to give a card in when she heard it, she got her phone out, recorded it, and she did some digging to back it up, proved that Matthew got a flight out here when Greg was killed, and a flight back out just as quick. She's pretty much built her entire case already."

"She was just around our house yesterday." Punk shook his head, "With a card. Being… nice to AJ."

"Probably felt bad for what she was about to do." Ian said, "You're gonna need lawyers. Damn good ones."

"What are they exactly gonna charge us on, Ian?" Punk shook his head with confusion, "We weren't at the scene, we didn't participate in the murder-"

"No, but you knew. You knew and a prosecutor can very quickly turn that around to you being involved. Ask your girlfriend, I'm sure she knows how it works." Ian nodded, "I can't begin to tell you how fucking mad I am that two… two of my best workers are in the shit like this." He said, "I can't fucking believe it."

"I don't see how we can't get out of this?" Punk said, "With a good enough lawyer anyway."

"You know what… you should have just arrested the guy." Ian shrugged, "That's all you had to do." He nodded, "That's all you had to fucking do, Phil." He shook his head as Punk looked up at him, "I doubt you'll be held in here for much longer, but let me tell you, you're not in for smooth sailing." He shook his head, being all too familiar with similar scenarios where he'd watched former officers do time, long time in prison, for the similar action.

"We'll get out of it." Punk nodded, trying to tell his own self.

"I hope so. For you and Dean's sake. Cops in prisons don't tend to go down very well." He nodded as Punk looked up at him, watching as he left the room as Punk collapsed back against the chair and sighed to himself.

* * *

Punk and Dean eventually got released as no one could be charged with anything as of yet. Punk met with Dean out the station which felt like no one wanted them in. They got dirty looks drawn at them, and a place that used to feel safe and like home for them, no longer felt that way.

"This is a fucking nightmare." Dean said, standing outside the station as Punk sighed and nodded, "We should have just fucking arrested him." He shook his head angrily.

"I think Ian is trying to scare us, test us to see if there's something else we're hiding, which we aren't." Punk said, "They can't arrest us for anything, the DA can try bring us down in court if it comes to that-"

"It will come to that. They're gonna bring us into the murder. I know it and you know it." Dean said, "And then what? We go to fucking prison? Really?" Dean shook his head as Punk sighed to himself.

"Ok, so if it's going to court we get really good lawyers who will very obviously point out that we had nothing to do with the murder so… it's impossible for us to be arrested because of it."

"We're just as fucking bad, we might as well been present at the murder, we knew about it and didn't say shit, and we're police officers. That's big. That's major." Dean said, "And what if April and Lia get brought into it, because they both knew-"

"No, on that recording it makes it sound like it's just Matthew, me and you." Punk nodded, "So we don't mention AJ or Lia, as far as we go, they know absolutely nothing." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"So do you wanna tell them how serious this is when we go back? Or will I?" Dean asked as Punk sighed to himself, beginning to feel that same pain, sharp and intense in his stomach as he placed a hand on the wall and turned into it, "Phil?" Dean shook his head as Punk groaned and bit his lip, "What is it?"

"I keep getting these pains." Punk groaned, pressing his forehead against the wall. He knew the pain was getting worse, and at this point, he could almost cry with how sharp and painful it was, "I'll be fine." Punk groaned and nodded.

"What the hell, man? Is it to do with your surgery? It must be." Dean shook his head, "You need to go to the hospital."

"No, I'm fine. It's not constant." Punk nodded stubbornly.

"I don't care. You need to go see a doctor." Dean said, "You'd be a fool not to."

"No, I'm fine. I looked it up and it's normal. To feel some pain afterwards."

"Yeah, some." Dean nodded, "How long have you been feeling it?"

"Uh… since Jessica was born." Punk said.

"So over a week?" Dean asked, "Phil, you gotta get it checked out."

"No, no… see, it's fading now. It's not bad anymore. It just comes and goes. I'm ok." Punk nodded, composing himself and turning back around, "We need to go back and talk to AJ and Lia." He nodded as Dean looked at him worriedly, "I'm fine." Punk said forcefully.

* * *

"You've not… said anything since I told you what's going on." Punk said, walking into the kitchen later that night where AJ was sat with a cup of coffee. Dean and Lia had left after Punk and Dean explained what was going on and how they could be effected by everything.

"I… I can't believe they know." AJ shook her head, "I can't believe that… bitch." AJ shook her head, "Coming here acting all… sweet and then doing that." She said as Punk sat down across from her, "This… This isn't good." She shook her head, looking across at him as Punk nodded. He wasn't going to lie to her and tell her everything would be fine, he didn't know what was going to happen, and it was scary, but they had to remain calm.

"I know it's not." Punk nodded, "But… we keep a cool head and we do everything we need to do, we get the lawyers, we fight back, we prove that there's absolutely no reason for us to be dragged down into this." Punk said as AJ shook her head.

"This is all my fault." AJ said, "I asked you not to arrest Matthew. All of this could have been prevented if you did what you were gonna do anyway." AJ nodded, "And now look."

"It's no one's fault. Me and Dean were deep into Sofia's case when it all came out, and we had reason to believe that it was her killers who killed Greg, and we'll tell the court that if it comes to it." Punk nodded.

"You could lose your job." AJ shook her head.

"Nothing has been settled just yet. Everything is still fresh, everyone is still figuring it out." Punk said.

"But you said they have a recording. That's audio evidence and proof. There's no way Matthew is getting out of it and if the audio is you and him talking then they'll have every reason to believe you were involved. And they will come at you and Dean for it." AJ said, "I know these things." She shook her head, placing her hand on her forehead.

"Then we'll be ready and we'll prove that we had no part of it." Punk nodded, "There's no point in stressing out about things when we don't know how it's gonna go." He said, "They might focus purely on Matthew."

"Poor Matthew." AJ sighed and shook her head, "This is all a mess." She cried, drying her tears as Punk sighed, watching her stand up.

"April." Punk sighed as she shook her head.

"No, I just… I need a minute." She said, walking out of the kitchen, drying her eyes as Punk sighed to himself. It wasn't the ideal situation for them to be in at this moment in time.


	75. What Happened?

**What Happened?**

* * *

 _5 years later…_

"How you doing?" Dean smiled, "I uh… already got you a coffee." He shook his head.

"I can't really stay long." AJ nodded, "I just wanted to… let the girls see each other since I took Jess away on her birthday." She said, turning over where Eva, seven, was playing with Jessica who had just turned five.

"Oh, yeah. How was it? She like Puerto Rico?" Dean asked, sitting down on the bench, "Just drink the coffee." He shrugged, extending the cup to her as AJ took it and smiled.

"She did." AJ nodded.

"And what about you?" Dean smiled, "You enjoy it?"

"What do you think?" AJ asked with a telling smile as Dean nodded.

"Why go then?" Dean chuckled.

"Because I… needed a break and… Jamie still hasn't met my parents so, I thought it'd be nice." She shrugged as Dean nodded slowly, "How is Lia?" She asked.

"She's good." Dean nodded, "Working so I'm… babysitting." He nodded over to Eva.

"Babysitting your own child?" AJ smiled a little as Dean just nodded and laughed, "How are you? Liking the new job?" She asked him.

"As much as I liked all the other ones." Dean shook his head, "Not really the same."

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Money is money I guess." AJ said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, that's it." Dean said, "You back to the grind now?" He asked her as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I'm in court tomorrow morning." AJ said as Dean nodded, "I uh… I ended up having to work the entire time we were in Puerto Rico. Me and Jamie just fought the entire time." She shook her head as Dean looked at her.

"About?" Dean asked.

"About me working. He just flips. In front of Jess too." AJ shook her head, looking over as she watched Jessica, short and delicate, climb up the steps to go down the chute for the tenth time in the past minute.

"That's not good." Dean shook his head.

"No." AJ agreed, "I've spoken to him about it, about shouting in front of her but… goes in one ear and out the other." She shook her head, "I think he's just been stressed with work, I guess." AJ said.

"No excuse." Dean told her bluntly as AJ nodded, "You've dated a cop before. He didn't shout at you." He said as AJ looked at him.

"Gosh, he doesn't shout at me. You know him. He's a sweetheart but… I just don't like when he does it in front of Jess." She said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, she's too young for that shit." Dean said, "I assume the reason you wanted to meet with me, not Lia, is because you got the same letter I did." He nodded as AJ looked at him.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "I didn't think he'd be out this early." AJ shook her head, "Not in a million years. Supposed to do ten."

"Well normally prisoners only do half of their sentence, if they've been good." Dean shrugged, "Where is your head at?"

"I don't even know." AJ shook her head, "I mean… I can't avoid it. It's not just me." She said, looking over at Jessica, "I wanted to wait, I wanted to be there for him and he took that away from me." AJ turned back to Dean, "Do you have any idea what it felt like? Showing up to a prison and being turned away?"

"You gotta take into consideration his mental state. I think the choices he made, were for you, so you could… live your life and not wait and hold back for him. I know him. It'd kill him to know that you were miserable, crossing every day off your calendar, visiting him for fifteen minutes every day, watching his kid grow up in… fifteen minute sectors." Dean said, "I know he wouldn't want that."

"What about what I wanted?" AJ asked, "Did he think about that?"

"Yeah, I do. I know he'd just want the best for you and Jess." Dean said, "He wouldn't want to drag you down with him." He said, "He pushed me away too you, know."

"I was his wife." AJ looked at him as Dean nodded, "Maybe just for… a few months, and maybe just so he could sign over money to me but… we had a family, we had a life… he just shut it off."

"Because he didn't have life after he was sentenced, April." Dean said, "What's life about? Having fun, making memories, good memories, spending time with family… he didn't have any of that anymore." He said as AJ shook her head.

"He still had me, and Jess, his sister, you… and he told us all to go away." AJ shook her head.

"And I understand why." Dean nodded.

"I don't." AJ told him bluntly, "And now what? Now he's getting out? Where's he gonna go? He has no job, no house, no one to pick him up-"

"I'm picking him up." Dean told her as AJ looked at him and nodded, "I'm putting it up until he finds his feet I guess. I don't know… what you're doing, if you're gonna see him. I assume he'll want to see Jess."

"Maybe he lost that chance." AJ shrugged.

"Don't you think you're being a little cold? He's been in prison for five years, for something that he didn't do. They destroyed him in that court room and suddenly he became a part of something he had no involvement in, and why? Because you told him to keep quiet."

"Excuse me?" AJ looked at him.

"None of this is his fault. You can't be mad at him, for the love of God."

"I'm mad he turned me away, divorced me and gave up on us." AJ nodded, "That's what I'm mad at." She said, "He still could have been a dad, my husband… but he didn't, he gave up on the one thing he still had, the one thing that wanted to be there for him throughout this whole thing."

"Do you think he wanted you and Jess's life to be about visiting him in a prison? You know him well enough, you know him like I do and you know that all he'd want is for you to be happy, and you did, you found yourself happiness, whether it was the same as being with him, I don't know… but you moved on, you made a life for Jess, got back to work, carried on… that's what he wanted."

"Well then he got what he wanted." AJ nodded, "And don't… don't ever tell me that I found happiness." She told him.

"So you're not happy with Jamie?" Dean asked her.

"I am happy with Jamie." AJ said, "I was happier with Phil." She looked down as Dean sighed.

"I know this is hard for you. It's damn hard for me. He's just as good as my brother. He's the fucking reason I'm still alive." He laughed a little, "And I know you and I know that he didn't deserve this, but maybe now we can say it's… it's over, he's gonna come home-"

"Not to my home." AJ shook her head, composing herself as she looked up at him, "Maybe, maybe if he let me in, if he let me be there for him he would have a home, a family to come home to, to help him, but he pushed that away." AJ nodded.

"I know you're just being like this to keep yourself steady. I know Phil, but I also know you too. Better than you think. If being mad at him is what helps then… fine, but please don't treat him like he made this choice." Dean said as AJ sighed.

She sat in silence, looking over at Jessica who was playing with Eva, smiling to herself as Jessica stumbled over but just laughed to herself and got back up. That was her in a nutshell.

"What do I even tell her?" AJ shook her head, looking on at Jessica.

"Well it's not like she calls Jamie her dad." Dean said.

"She's never even tried to." AJ admitted, "But she doesn't know Phil. At all. He was gone by the time she was… four months old. Was I supposed to tell her about him?" She turned to Dean.

"I don't think anyone, certainly not Phil, expected you to." Dean said.

"Cami yells at me for… not talking about him with her, but I don't see what good it would do? It'd probably just confuse her." AJ nodded.

"Maybe." Dean said, "Have you saw Cami recently?"

"No, not since her and Seth got back from their vacation. She was away and then when she got back I was away to Puerto Rico." AJ shook her head as Dean nodded, "I'll probably meet her for coffee tomorrow after I finish in court." She said, "Jamie is watching Jess all day." She said as Dean nodded.

"So I guess there's no point in asking you if you wanna come with me to the prison next week?" Dean asked her.

"I'll sit it out." AJ said, "I don't think he'll be expecting me. The letter was very much directed at you with the brief mention of me." She shrugged, "Maybe he doesn't even care anymore. Maybe he won't even wanna see Jess or me-"

"If you believe that then… well you're stupid, straight up." Dean nodded as AJ looked at him, "And I know you aren't stupid so you must just be thinking this shit to make it easier when you see him, but it's not gonna work." Dean said.

"You said it earlier. I moved on. I have a family. I have my daughter, a partner who loves me, who I love, a job, a home. And if that's what he wanted for me then… well he'll be happy." AJ shrugged.

"I know you've gotten cold with everyone again, the same way you did when Sofia was killed, your brother told me when he came over at Christmas last year, that… you just shut people out again, the same way you did before you met Phil." Dean said as AJ placed her hands in her pockets and looked down, "And that's fine. We deal with things differently. But I want you to remember who it was that brought you out of that state." He nodded as AJ turned to him.

"I'm not cold." AJ made clear, "I'm hurt." She said, "You know what's annoying?" She asked him.

"What?" Dean said.

"I still think about him every day. I still love him." AJ said, "As much as I can find myself a new boyfriend, and try and move on, I still love him, but how can that be possible when I haven't saw him in…. almost five years." She said.

"Because he's not just some boyfriend you had for a while. You've got a kid together. You both went through a lot together." Dean said, "I didn't expect you to not love him anymore, and I hope you don't expect yourself to either." He said as AJ sighed, watching as Jessica began to run towards her.

"Mommy." Jessica called, "Mommy, did you see me on the swings?" Jessica asked her mother with excitement as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I did, baby. You were swinging so high." AJ shook her head, "I was kinda scared." She admitted.

"Oh, why were you scared?" Jessica asked.

"I thought you were going to fall off." AJ admitted as Dean smiled as he looked on at Jessica.

"No, mommy. I was holding on so tight." Jessica said.

"You know what's better?" Dean said as Jessica looked over at him, "If you stand on the swing and swing that way."

"Uh… no." AJ butted in, slapping Dean on the arm, "No, just… sit on it for now." She laughed a little.

"Hey, I always enjoyed it." Dean shrugged as AJ shook her head.

"Uncle Dean, that sounds dangerous." Jessica shook her head, "I'd need a helmet."

"You just hold on the same." Dean shrugged as Jessica looked back at the swing, figuring it out if she could really do it.

"Uh… no, young lady. I know that look." AJ warned, mostly because she'd saw the same look on her father, "You're not standing on it. You could fall and hurt yourself." She said, tucking Jessica's dark hair behind her ear below the lining of the cap she was wearing.

She was short for her age and her Puerto Rican heritage was very visible in all aspects of her as a person, not just her looks but her personality. She was loud, outgoing, mischievous, but also at times very shy, cautious and frightened easily. In other words, she was a shrunken down, younger version of AJ.

"We need to get home anyway, baby. It's getting late." AJ nodded, "Go say bye to Eva, I think she's gonna stay a little while longer with Uncle Dean."

"So why do we gotta go?" Jessica frowned.

"Because we do." AJ stood up from the bench.

"That's not an answer." Jessica mumbled, running back towards the park attractions to say goodbye to Eva, who was a good friend of hers even with the two year age gap.

"Let her stand on the swing for crying out loud." Dean laughed.

"And fall and break her neck?" AJ whined, "No." She scoffed.

"You're way too protective." Dean said.

"I don't see an issue with that." AJ shrugged.

"You hold her closer because of him." Dean nodded, "You think I don't see it? I'm inside your brain, Mendez." He said as AJ rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't wish it upon anyone to be inside my brain." AJ laughed to herself, watching as Jessica ran back over to her, "Ok, say bye to uncle Dean." She said as Jessica nodded.

"Bye Uncle Dean." Jessica exclaimed, climbing up onto his lap and hugging him around his neck. She was affectionate to the very few people in her life, but not very adaptable to strangers, which made AJ worry even more.

"Oh, goodbye. I'll see you soon." Dean said, giving her a tight hug and tickling her under her chin as AJ smiled, "Ok, go to your mom." He nodded, putting her back down on the ground as Jessica took her mother's hand, "So… you won't join me on the pick up?" Dean asked as AJ looked at him.

"No. I won't." AJ told him, "Good… Good luck. We might not know who you're even picking up anymore." AJ shrugged as Dean raised his eyebrows, watching her as she turned around, leaving the park with Jessica as he sighed to himself and sat back against the bench.

* * *

 **A/N: I know this was a sudden jump probably but I wanted to wrap this up so I could get onto the next part of the story in the sequel. There will be a lot of flashbacks in the next story published with regards to what happened with Punk, and also everything going on in present day. Exciting things and a lot of things to clear up, I'm sure you'll all still have questions which I promise will all be answered and will be coming soon! Thanks for supporting this story and stay tuned for the sequel being posted soon.**


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